Original subtitles

(wind whips)

(upbeat adventurous music)

(celebratory adventurous music)

(inquisitive music)

- [Richard] Our journey along the Thames

begins at the Port of Tilbury, the gateway to London.

Our next stop along the river examines the Thames Barrier,

which protects the city from flooding,

as well as London's eastern financial district.

The Thames begins its largest meander

at the Greenwich Peninsula,

and then creates a U-shape around the Isle of Dogs,

home to the Canary Wharf financial complex.

The next leg of our journey

takes us to the first in a series of riverside landmarks,

the Tower of London,

before we explore the modern landscape

of the most ancient section of the metropolis,

the City of London.

We end our journey at the Palace of Westminster.

(calm classical music)

We first stop in Essex, about 40 kilometers from London,

on the river's north bank, at Tilbury Fort.

The curved shape and narrowness of the Thames at Tilbury

has made the town a suitable location

to defend London against invasion.

The first permanent fort was built on this bank

by King Henry VIII in 1538,

and was later the site

for Queen Elizabeth I's historic speech

to rally her army against possible attack

from the Spanish Armada.

The current star-shaped design,

with its angular bastions and moats,

was engineered by Charles II,

standing today as one of the finest examples

of 17th century fortifications in the country.

The Port of Tilbury serves as London's major gateway

for shipping cargo.

The original port was built by what would later become

the East and West India Docks Company,

in the late 19th century.

(relaxing chiming music)

With the rise of railways and increases in ship size,

docking near the center of London

became less vital to the shipping industry

than access to deep waters

and a reduced time navigating the winding Thames,

so by the 1970s,

Tilbury had become the largest container port in the UK.

Today it remains one of the country's

three major container ports,

and is also part of the London Cruise Terminal,

serving as a turnaround point

for ships from Baltic and Northern European destinations.

(relaxing chiming music)

(placid chiming music)

As we fly westward,

we enter the Greater London area,

where the city's orbital motorway, the M25,

crosses the Thames, at the Queen Elizabeth bridge.

The cable-supported bridge, which opened in 1991,

is 812 meters long and 137 meters high.

It is the easternmost crossing along the Thames,

and was only second constructed to the east of London Bridge

in over 1,000 years.

The overpass is part of the Dartford Crossing,

which also includes two tunnels

that allow for northbound traffic.

(placid chiming music)

(calm classical music)

The Crossness Pumping Station

rests along the southern bank of the Thames

in the London borough of Bexley.

The station was last operative in the 1950s,

but represents an important part

of Britain's industrial heritage,

and stands as a high-mark in Victorian-age engineering.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette designed

the Romanesque-style pumping station in the 1860s

in an effort to combat

London's infamous sewage complications,

known as the Great Stink,

a dilemma caused by an unusually hot summer

coupled with the introduction of flush toilets.

A trust was created to restore this historic installation.

(inquisitive classical music)

We now arrive at the Woolwich Ferry,

a river crossing that links

the London boroughs of Greenwich and Newham.

(calm strings music)

A ferry service has allowed for

transportation across the Thames at this point

since the 14th century.

The current terminals, financed as a free public service

by the London River Service, were opened in 1965,

and allow passage for both vehicles and pedestrians.

It is estimated that the ferries carry

over a million vehicles and 2 1/2 million people per year.

(inquisitive classical music)

Near Woolwich, London is protected from flooding

by the Thames Barrier,

the world's second-largest moveable flood defense system.

During exceptionally high tides in the North Sea,

and storm surges,

the barrier, which spans 520 meters,

has 10 steel gates

that are raised into position across the river.

Each of the four large central gates

weighs nearly 3,300 tons,

and stands almost five stories high.

The barrier is comprised of six navigable,

and four smaller, non-navigable channels.

The industrial district of Silvertown

has been the riverside home

to the Tate & Lyle sugar refineries since 1878.

It sits on the aptly-named Sugar Quay,

and the few remaining docks

are still used by sugar cargo vessels today.

(exciting music)

Adjacent, on a former docklands site,

is London City Airport.

It is just a single 1,500-meter runway,

limiting the aircraft that can use it,

and handles traffic mostly for business travelers.

(exciting music)

The airport, opened in 1988,

is Greater London's fifth-busiest,

but is the only one

that can actually claim to be in London itself.

And just beneath the flight path

is one of the newer additions to London's skyline.

Originally built to celebrate the turn of the 21st century,

the O2 Millennium Dome is a large entertainment center

that features an indoor arena, cinema,

exhibition space, bars, and restaurants.

Its location on the Greenwich Peninsula,

by the Prime Meridian,

was the inspiration for its design,

based on the measurement of time.

The 12 support towers represent each of the months,

and its diameter measures 365 meters

for the number of days in the year.

(somber classical music)

Referred to as the Old Royal Naval College,

Sir Christopher Wren designed

Greenwich's architectural centerpiece

in the late 17th century, to serve as a naval hospital.

Built on the grounds

where Tudor queens Mary and Elizabeth were born,

the site was converted to a training establishment

for the Royal Navy in 1873, until 1998.

The buildings now host

a variety of education, communal, and business activities.

The buildings of the Royal Naval College were split

to maintain the river view of the Queen's House.

King James commission Inigo Jones

to craft the home for his wife in the early 17th century.

Introducing the concept of Palladianism,

the design was viewed as revolutionary in its day.

The Queen's House has displayed the artwork

of the National Maritime Museum since 1937.

(industrious classical music)

As we make our way towards Central London,

the Thames makes one of its larger meanders

around the Isle of Dogs,

home to one of the city's two main financial districts,

Canary Wharf.

This area, located on the original West India Docks,

formerly the busiest port in the world,

measures 1.3 million square meters.

It is mostly office and retail space.

90,000 Londoners work in the district,

which is the headquarters

for many professional service firms, media companies,

and international banks.

The development's first buildings

were completed in 1991,

including the UK's second-tallest building,

One Canada Square.

(majestic classical music)

The original docks were built in the early 1800s,

operated by a group of wealthy merchants,

and used by all vessels engaged in the West India trade.

100 years later, the docks came under the control

of the Port of London Authority.

As we approach Canary Wharf from the west,

we capture a brilliant view of the Thames

as it courses towards Central London,

a spectacle to behold as evening closes in.

(majestic classical music)

We continue our nighttime tour of the city

with one of London's most iconic symbols, Tower Bridge.

(measured classical music)

In the late 19th century,

a surge of commercial development in the city's East End

exposed a need for a river crossing

downstream of London Bridge.

Yet the build needed to allow larger vessels

to continue to access the Port of London.

The result was a Victorian-style

combined suspension and drawbridge

connected by two 65-meter towers, which sit on piers.

(calm piano music)

Seen now during the daylight, the 244-meter bridge connects

the borough of Southwark on the south side

to Tower Hamlets on the north side,

passing the Tower of London,

from which it derives its name.

(calm classical music)

Tower Bridge features two high-level open-air walkways.

Below, each deck is over 30 meters long,

allowing a clearance of 45 meters when they are raised,

the bridge once averaged 50 openings a day,

but currently lifts about 1,000 times a year.

The historic Tower of London was constructed

after William the Conqueror's conquest of England in 1066.

(somber percussive music)

The castle primarily served as a royal residence,

although the fortress was notoriously used as a prison

during its peak period of the 16th and 17th centuries,

earning a reputation of torture and death.

(sinister music)

Seen here is the 27-meter high White Tower,

the original keep of the grounds.

Although used as a prison until World War II,

the complex is best known today

as the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

HMS Belfast is moored on the Thames,

across from the Tower of London.

The museum-ship was the most powerful cruiser

in the Royal Navy

during her service in World War II and Korea.

Also opposite the tower,

we espy London's unique city hall,

headquarters for the Mayor of London

and the London Assembly.

(gentle electronic music)

Nicknamed the City, or the Square Mile,

we capture a three square kilometer area of hills

on the north bank,

which constituted most of London

during the medieval period.

The City of London,

the second major financial center of Greater London

after Canary Wharf

has been a prime area of trade even prior to Roman times.

The City's most noticeable landmark

is 30 St. Mary Axe, or the Gherkin.

The tower was built on the site

of the demolished headquarters for the Baltic Exchange

after a terrorist bomb severely damaged it in 1992.

Architect Norman Foster

devised the 180-meter tall skyscraper

with sustainability in mind.

Its design captures as much sunlight as possible,

and six massive air shafts

create a natural ventilation system,

as well as insulating the building

through a double-glazing effect.

Less than half a kilometer away

lies another feat of postmodern architecture,

the Lloyd's Building.

It is named for its tenant,

the renowned insurance institution Lloyd's of London,

but perhaps deserves the moniker the Inside-Out Building.

Architect Richard Rogers crafted this innovative structure

to have its staircases, lift, power conduits,

and water pipes all on the exterior,

brilliantly contained in three main

and three secondary towers,

which surround a vast, open, rectangular office space.

At night, the illuminated Lloyd's Building transforms

to become a sparkling gem in the City of London.

The Lime Street masterpiece

garnered a string of awards for its design.

(tranquil chant music)

The impressive three-tiered dome and spire

of St. Paul's Cathedral

is yet another of the City of London's great landmarks.

Sir Christopher Wren's English Baroque design

is the fourth cathedral to sit atop Ludgate Hill,

the highest point in the city.

(tranquil chant music)

Construction of St. Paul's began

several decades after its predecessor was destroyed

in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

(tranquil chant music)

In 2011, a massive 15-year effort

to restore St. Paul's Cathedral was completed.

The cleaning and repair cost over $60 million,

and an estimated 150,000 stones

on the exterior of the building were individually cleaned.

(tranquil chant music)

The monument looks equally spectacular in the evening,

as Wren's work of art gleams in the city's skyline.

The cathedral has held a significant place

in modern British history,

holding thanksgiving services

for the diamond jubilees,

which celebrated the 60-year reigns of Queen Victoria,

and later Queen Elizabeth.

As we transition back to daytime,

we journey across the river to the South Bank,

and find the Tate Modern,

the world's most visited contemporary art gallery.

Situated in a former oil-fired power station

in the Bankside District,

the gallery displays British art

from the 16th century to present day.

It is part of the Tate network,

all named after sugar magnate Henry Tate,

who laid the foundation for the collections.

Alongside the Tate gallery is Shakespeare's Globe,

(calm Renaissance music)

a modern reconstruction of the Elizabethan-era Globe Theater

which opened in 1997.

Because the Thames was much wider during Shakespeare's time,

the new theater was placed

about 200 meters from the original site

to recreate the riverside atmosphere

enjoyed by patrons during the Bard's day.

The project was led by American actor Sam Wanamaker,

and the designers used printed panoramas,

written accounts, contracts, and one singular sketch

to piece together the replica.

The theater stages both original Shakespearean works,

and world premiers of newly-scribed plays.

Expansion plans include an indoor Jacobean theater,

which will allow productions to be held all year round.

The Tate Modern and the Globe

are linked to St. Paul's Cathedral

by the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian walkway.

Despite its name, it opened two years after the millennium

due to unexpected swaying,

earning it the alias Wobbly Bridge.

(smooth electronic music)

Since the days of London's Roman founders,

the crossing of the Thames

from Southwark into the City of London

has carried the name London Bridge.

(smooth electronic music)

From the first timber bridges,

and the later medieval structure,

to the 19th century stone crossing,

and right up to the current box-girder bridge,

this crossing has always been positioned

at the western end of the Pool of London.

(smooth electronic music)

30 meters upstream of the original overpass,

the current London Bridge opened in 1973,

and spans 283 meters.

(smooth electronic music)

The City of London's central railway terminus

is located at Cannon Street.

Trains approach the station across Cannon Street Bridge,

which lies in between London and Southwark bridges.

The terminus was first built in 1866,

and has experienced its share of unfortunate damage

due to bombings,

first during the Second World War,

and later by the IRA in 1976.

(smooth electronic music)

London's most popular paid tourist attraction

is the Millennium Wheel.

(smooth electronic music)

More widely known as the London Eye,

Europe's tallest Ferris wheel stands 134 meters high,

with a diameter of 120 meters.

Crafted to resemble a gigantic spoked bicycle wheel,

the Eye features 32 air-conditioned passenger capsules,

representing the number of boroughs in London.

The capsules weigh 10 tons each,

and carry up to 25 people.

The wheel travels at a pace of 26 centimeters per second,

making a revolution every 30 minutes,

slow enough to allow passengers to enter and exit

without needing to stop.

Across the river, on the Middlesex Bank of the Thames,

lies the Palace of Westminster,

where both houses of parliament convene.

(triumphal classical music)

The perpendicular Gothic-style structure

is a reconstruction of the original palace,

destroyed in a major fire in 1834.

(triumphal classical music)

However, the parliamentary estate has existed on the site

since the 11th century,

when it served as a primary residence

for the kings of England, until 1512.

(triumphal classical music)

Ascending from the north end of the palace

is the Elizabeth Tower.

It's popularly known as Big Ben,

although Big Ben is actually the nickname

of the largest bell of the chiming clock.

It's the largest of its kind in the world,

and one of London's most famous landmarks.

(reflective music)

This strategic stretch of the Thames

has placed it at the center of many historic events,

to which 19th century MP John Burns

famously referenced the river as liquid history.

(reflective music)

As we revisit our course along the Thames,

wonderfully illuminated

during this enchanting London evening,

esteemed Romantic poet William Wordsworth

best encapsulates the emotion of the mighty river

in his sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge,

crafted as he departed London at dawn

in the summer of 1802:

Earth has not anything to show more fair,

dull would he be of soul who could pass by

a sight so touching in its majesty.

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

the beauty of the morning, silent, bare.

Ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples lie

open unto the fields, and to the sky,

all bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did sun more beautifully steep

in his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill,

ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep.

The river glideth at its own sweet will:

dear God, the very houses seem asleep

and all that mighty heart is lying still.

(reflective music)

Wordsworth's venture out of London

served as a wonderful muse for his poem.

One can only wonder what the great poet would have written

had he been afforded the view of the Thames

winding through the London night from the air,

a perfect place to end this journey.

(energetic classical music)

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