London River / The River Thames - 1940 Social Guidance / Educational Documentary - Val73TV
The various docks of the
River Thames, the precautions being taken during the war, and the markets of
London.
'At
Tilbury, near the mouth of the River Thames, liners from all over the world come into the landing stages, past long lines of barges and battalions of cranes.
Higher up-river are the giant
London docks, the busiest in the world, where the work of importing and exporting cargo us carried on unceasingly.
Westwards, up-river, are huge warehouses; cranes and smoking funnels line the banks. Approaching the
City, ships pass beneath
Tower Bridge, close to the imposing
Tower of London. Nearby is the world of wharves and dockland offices, and directly linked to the river are
London's famous markets -
Billingsgate for fish, Smithfield for meat and
Covent Garden for fruit, vegetables and flowers. Here, too, is the world of finance - "the richest square mile in the world" - with the
Stock Exchange, the
Bank of England, and important banking and business houses known throughout the world. Further up-river is
County Hall, magnificent headquarters of the
London County Council; and on the left bank is the historic
City of Westminster, home of the
Empire's government; lining
Whitehall are big
Government departments and, nearby,
Westminster Abbey; and on the water's edge, the
Houses of Parliament with their elaborate and beautiful architecture.
Beyond Westminster the character of the river is changed yet again, and giant
Power Stations give way to residential houses, roads to gardens. Beyond
Richmond, with its willow-lined banks, are the
Tudor chimneys and turrets of
Hampton Court; higher still is
Windsor and its
Castle, the home of the
King.
As evening falls there is
peace on the river at Windsor, but at the mouth of the
Thames activity goes on into the night. There is no sleep for the greatest port in the world.' (Films of
Britain -
British Council Film Department Catalogue -
1940)
This film has been made available for non-commercial research and educational purposes courtesy the British Council
Film Collection.
http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection/about-the-collection