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Stairs
Thousands of Watermen used to row passengers up and down the river from landing stages known as stairs, where their rates would be clearly marked. Although many of these stairs have gone, their images remain in artwork of the period.
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Isleworth Stairs |
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The Bull's Head, Strand on the Green |
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Pubs
No town or village would be complete without a church and a pub. They have provided a meeting place for locals and visitors for hundreds of years. Many, such as the Bull's Head at Strand on the Green have stories of the Civil War and a visitation by Cromwell.
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Mills
Picturesque mills have long been popular with riverside artists. Dams were created to provide a head of water necessary to drive the wheels of the mills, and from saxon times these created obstacles to the free passage of boats on the river.
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The Mill at Abingdon |
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Hampton Court |
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Palaces
The river has linked the castles and palaces of the kings and queens of England for almost a thousand years. Royal barges used to be able to travel from Greenwich Palace as far upstream as Windsor Castle. The Tudor splendour of Hampton Court is just one of the many sights that has been captured by artists.
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Bridges
Every bridge over the river has been drawn, engraved, painted or photographed at some time. Earlier wooden structures and later stone, concrete and steel structures have all been recorded, Changing artistic styles can also be traced through this wonderful archive.
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Kingston Bridge from Hampton Wick |
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