Ebb & Flow

Since the middle of March, Victoria Tower Gardens and its stretch of the Thames has been a place of refuge. A place where we have been lucky enough to feel sheltered from the dangers and fear incited by the spread of Covid-19. With the falling number of cases and the easing of restrictions, we have ventured slightly further afield and, since the beginning of July have been able to spend more time in the gardens watching the river slowly coming to life.

Colliers Launches have been running circular cruises from Richmond to Teddington Lock and back, with PRINCESS FREDA but so far the only boats of theirs that we can see every day, the CONNAUGHT and the QUEEN ELIZABETH have remained quietly but assuredly frustratingly, at anchor in Westminster, where though they have been *visited* on occasions by PRINCESS FREDA.

However, we’ve been able to see Thames Clippers back on the river since the middle of June, slowly building up passenger numbers and City Cruises, mostly working downstream from Westminster Bridge. Both have taken the required precautions to make their vessels Covid secure and, as cautious confidence returns so we have observed an increase in passengers.

At the same time RIB tours are increasing with Thames Rockets, Thames RIB Experience and, though I haven’t seen Thames Jet on this stretch of the river yet, they are all providing exciting views of London from the water. And sometimes at white knuckle speed.

RIBs are also an effective, high-speed way of reacting to an emergency, so an important asset for the Police. We’ve seen them checking security along the river and occasionally seen them taking part in high-speed exercises.

Slowly returning to pre-lockdown routines, tugs and their tows were evidence of greater activity on building sites upstream, particularly on the Tideway tunnel, with the delivery of tunnel segments, building materials, and the removal of spoil.

As well as the increase in commercial activity, Port of London vessels were carrying on with their normal functions, such as surveying channels, checking vessels, organising the clearing of potentially dangerous debris, and patrolling the ninety-five mile stretch of the tidal Thames.

Always on stand-by and on occasional patrols for testing and training, are the London Brigade fire rescue boats, FIRE DART and FIRE FLASH.

And as ever, the Marine Support Unit of the Metropolitan Police, with their Targa fast response vessels, are on constant watch along the river. If you walk for more than a short while along the banks of the central London Thames, you are almost bound to see one of them. Sometimes cruising in watch mode, sometimes speeding on a ‘shout’ to deal with a crime or to take part in a training exercise. However, if there are potential casualties involved, they will work with an RNLI crew from one the the four Thames stations, Tower RNLI being one of the busiest.

The number of new Covid cases is significantly reduced but everyone is rightly cautious and the full return of most pleasure and party boat cruises still seems a little way off. Though social distancing can be organised on an outside deck for some, it will be more difficult to manage inside spaces in a way that would be economically viable. Added to this, there are real fears of a second Covid spike, so a return to how life was anything like before will have to be carefully orchestrated.

Further information
Colliers Launches
City Cruises
Thames Clippers
To find out more history of the vessels on the Thames see YouTube channel : The Liquid Highway

It turns out that the month of May was the sunniest and driest May since 1957, so some of these photos of the steady return to life on the Thames might seem impossibly blue and sunny. But the daily *lockdown* walks I made with my husband in Victoria Tower Gardens really were mostly that bright.

Victoria Tower Gardens, listed as Grade II by Historic England, are maintained by The Royal Parks, whose staff have been on duty throughout the Covid lockdown, organising clear signage, cleaning benches, disinfecting walls, and tending the plants and monuments. It was reassuring to know that every care was being taken to protect visitors to the gardens, where calm and shade helped to bring some relief from the relentless bad news.

Among the monuments in their care is The Buxton Memorial, built to commemorate the abolition of slavery, and one of the focal points of the gardens. For those that knew its history, it acquired an extra significance this summer with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, though the monument itself is actually a homage to those who worked tirelessly to end the cruel trade rather than to the victims themselves.

The views of the Palace of Westminster, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are what make these gardens unique and much appreciated by all who come here, and on May 8th, by sheer chance, I was able to catch the Red Arrows as they flew past the Victoria Tower in perfect formation as part of this year’s VE Day anniversary celebrations. It was the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe and though the Red Arrows could still take part, many of the other planned events were cancelled or curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, our eyes were mostly trained on the river, another of Victoria Tower Gardens’ attractions, as we walked or sat on one of the riverside benches, and it was here, that we began to notice further signs of river life getting back to normal. Slowly.

During our short visits we could see from passing barges loaded with building material that work held in abeyance from the start of lockdown, apart from essential safety checks and maintenance, was beginning to restart on construction sites further upstream, and on the £5 billion Thames Tideway London Super Sewer .

Cory tugs and their crews, key workers on the river, who carried on with their routine, essential for London’s health and hygiene throughout the lockdown, paid tribute to fellow key workers in the NHS and particularly to those in St. Thomas’ Hospital, overlooking the river at Westminster. Their message on a banner fixed to a barge was widely seen along the Thames.

As they have done since the beginning of lockdown, the Port of London and Marine Police vessels continued with their regular patrols. The London Fire Brigade boats FIRE FLASH and FIRE DART were on permanent standby, keeping their equipment regularly serviced and tested. Also on permanent standby, as they are throughout the year, were the four Thames RNLI stations at Gravesend, Tower, Chiswick, and Teddington. Tower Station is just visible by Waterloo Bridge from Victoria Tower Gardens but though busy, their crews were not called on during our walks.

It was sad to see the pleasure and tourist boats, usually cruising or partying along the river, immobile all this time, moored in their allotted places. Occasionally a workboat would come by one of the boats and a crew member or two would board, to check things over.

At the very end of April, family business Colliers Launches, owners of a Thames boat hire company at Richmond, decided that they needed support to keep afloat and dispatched their vessel PRINCESS FREDA to spearhead publicity for their crowdfunding campaign and I spotted her as she returned from her meetings. She has been back out on the river running circular cruises from Richmond since July 4th.

However, towards the end of May, there was noticeably more activity on the river. Tourist boats were being moved around to different moorings for checks and maintenance and there was an increase in the transportation of building materials and of spoil.

The Thames Clippers have been back out on the river since June 14, and City Cruises returned to service at the beginning of July. Colliers Launches have started their 45 minute circular trips from Richmond. They have all stringently followed government guidelines to make their vessels safe. Now the government has to show, with large-scale testing, easily accessible tracing and hotspot information, that it is safe for the public to venture out to shop, to pursue their interests, and to travel and move around with confidence. Let’s hope they will provide the reassurance needed…