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opened in 1807, and originally known as the Greenland Docks. The entrance from the Thames is between Randall's Rents and Dog and Duck Stairs, nearly opposite King's Arms' Stairs, in the Isle of Dogs,

Open daily. Admission, by tickets, to be obtained at No. 106, Fenchurch Street. They may be reached by the Greenwich Railway from London Bridge, or by the Waterman steamers, from any of the river piers.

An inspection of one or two of the ship building yards in this neighbourhood will be worth the trouble. The gigantic machinery, the steam hammers, the shears which cut in two strong bars of iron, as the sempstress snips packthread, the bending of beams, or rolling out of iron plates, the ease with which large masses of metal are wielded about, are all subjects of curiosity and surprise, whilst they gratify our self-love, and afford us proofs of the command which mind has over matter, and of man's power to control the elements, and turn the most stubborn and intractable materials of nature to his daily uses.

The dock accommodation, enormous as it is, is proportionally very inferior to that of Liverpool, and various new docks have been devised, principally for the accommodation of colliers, the immense number of which seriously impede the navigation. None of these schemes have ever progressed, however, beyond the preliminaries; wharfingers' interests, and other causes, stopping them. A new measure, however, the Victoria Docks received the sanction of Parliament last session, which by the use made of the North Woolwich and Eastern Counties Railways, will open the whole of the north of England to the Port of London: the ingenious arrangement too contemplated, will, it is expected, prove a great accommodation 'to the shipping. The connection of the river with the railway system, cannot but be of immense utility, indeed, the Blackwall Railway (the traffic on which was formerly carried on by traction), was designed chiefly with the view of connecting the East and West India Docks with London The facilities of communication given by that uudertaking have not resulted, however, as beneficially as was expected, and a new line, the East and West India Dock Railway, which skirts the north of London and joins the North Western and Great Western, is now in process of construction, and is partially opened.

CHAPTER X.

THE THAMES, THE TUNNEL, AND THE BRIDGES.

In splendour with those famous cities old,

Whose power it has surpassed, it now might vie.
Through many a bridge the wealthy river rolled,
Aspiring columns reared their heads on high,
Triumphant fanes graced every road, and gave
Due guerdon to the memory of the brave.-Southey.

THE THAMES,

This noble river, the real source of the greatness and wealth of the metropolis, as also one of its chief ornaments, but which by a strange perversity, has been turned into a gigantic and pestilential sewer, polluting the surrounding atmosphere, rises two miles south-west of Cirencester, in Gloucestershire; it becomes navigable for barges of eighty tons, at Lechlade, one hundred and thirty miles above London, and continues gradually to increase the volume of its waters, until at London Bridge it is a quarter of a mile broad, and is navigable for ships of seven hundred or eight hundred tons, while below Greenwich, by ships of the largest burthen. The entire course of the river from its source is about two hundred miles; the tide flows up to Richmond, which following the winding of the river, is seventy miles from the sea-a greater distance than the tide is carried by any other river in Europe. The water, however, is not salt much higher than Gravesend, which by the river is thirty miles from London; but at very high tides, or after long easterly winds, the water at London Bridge is frequently brackish.

The mercantile importance of this noble stream, is greater than that of any other river in the world. Its merchantmen visit every part of the known globe, and the productions of every soil, and of every clime, are wafted home upon its bosom, to meet the never-ending demands of British commerce: the frozen shores of the Baltic and North America; the sultry regions of both the Indies; the arid coast of Africa; the genial regions of the Australasian hemisphere; and the gold-producing land of California, are alike familiar with its name; and there is not a single country, perhaps, in any quarter of the earth, bordering on the sea, that has not been visited with its sails. The

southern bank of the river, contiguous to the bridges, for a considerable extent, is lined with manufactories, and warehouses of great magnitude, such as iron founders, dyers, soap and oil makers, glass makers, shot manufacturers, boat builders, &c., many of which from their magnitude are well deserving of notice.

From the magnificent bridges which span this majestic river, may be obtained very interesting views of the metropolis, and the immense number of steam boats, barges and smaller vessels, which are always in motion, afford a spectacle of untiring and successful industry, unparalleled in Europe, The view from the river, at a little distance to the west of Blackfriars Bridge, is extremely grand; the lofty spire of St. Bride's on the north, the bridge itself in front, with the towering fabric of St. Paul's, rising above it; the glimpses caught through the arches of Southwark and London bridges; the aspiring shaft of the Monument; the variety of the steeples of the numerous city churches with the endless craft moving in quick succession along the stream altogether combine to form a very imposing and highly animated scene.

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Connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. This extraordinary undertaking, was originally projected and carried ont by Sir I. K. Brunel,

and is an enduring monument of his skill, energy, and enterprise; but as a commercial undertaking, its results can scarcely be said to have justified such an outlay. It was commenced in 1825; and is a structure of interest alike to the ordinary, and to the scientific visitor. It has a double foot and road-way, arched with brick, and lighted with gas, formed under the Thames, from the Surrey to the Middlesex shore; and although its magnitude, and even scientific merits, have probably been equalled, if not surpassed, by the daring and skill of our railway engineers, it may yet be looked at as an extraordinary triumph of science and perseverance.

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The first stone of the descent for pedestrians, on the south side of the river, near Rotherhithe church, having been laid by W. Smith, Esq., the chairman of the company, on the second of March, 1825; and after surmounting almost incredible obstacles, the Tunnel was completed, and opened as a public thoroughfare, March 25th, 1843.

The Tunnel consists of a square mass of brickwork, thirty-seven feet wide by twenty-two high, containing in it two archways or

passages, each of the width of sixteen feet four inches; each carriageroad is thirteen feet six inches wide, and fifteen feet six inches high; and each has a foot-path three feet wide. There is a central line of arches to separate the two passages, some of them so wide that earriages may go from one line of the Tunnel to the other: the passages are well lighted with gas, placed in each of the arches. On the 18th of May, 1827, a dreadful alarm was created, in consequence of the water bursting into the Tunnel from above, while upwards of one hundred and twenty workmen were engaged below. The workmen fled towards the shaft in the greatest terror, while the water rushed after them with fearful rapidity. They ascended the ladder, five at a time, and succeeded in reaching the top in safety. This accident delayed the progress of the work for seven years, but the hole was ultimately stopped, the cavity being chiefly filled up with bags of clay. A second interruption took place on the 12th of Jannary, 1828, when six unfortunate excavators were drowned.

The entire length of the Tunnel is thirteen hundred feet; and the thickness betwen the vault of the Tunnel and the Thames above ftifteen feet. It cost £614,000. Toll, one penny.

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LONDON BRIDGE.

This noble bridge is situated at the eastern extremity of Gracechurch Street and King William Street, and connects the City of London with the Borough of Southwark. It consists of five immense semielliptical arches, exceeding in extent of span those of any other stone bridge in Europe. It was commenced in 1824, from the designs of Mr. Rennie; the first stone having been laid by the lord mayor, ön the 27th of April, 1825. It was opened on the first of August, 1831, by their late Majesties William IV. and Queen Adelaide, with all the pomp and ceremony which such an important occasion demanded. The architect having died during the progress of the work, it was completed by his sons, Sir John Rennie and Mr. George Rennie, in conjunction with Mr. Joliffe. The site of the bridge is about one!

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