Saturday 26 July 2014
River Thames frost
fairs were held on the tideway of the River Thames at London in some
winters between the 17th century and early 19th century, during the period
known as the Little Ice Age, when the river froze over. During the Great Frost
of 1683–84, the worst frost recorded in England, the
Thames was completely frozen for two months, with the ice reaching a thickness
of 11 inches in London. Solid ice
was reported extending for miles off the coasts of the southern North Sea,
causing severe problems for shipping and preventing the use of many harbours. Source
