51°29′02″N0°09′43″W / 51.484°N 0.162°W /51.484; -0.162
 Thames flood level markers atTrinity Hospital, Greenwich. The marker on the right is for 1928 | |
| Formed | 6 to 7 January 1928 |
|---|---|
| Fatalities | 14[1][2] |
| Areas affected | London (City, Southwark, Lambeth, Westminster, Hammersmith, Putney, Greenwich, Woolwich) |
| Surgewatch.org UK coastal flooding severity, High 5/6[3] | |
The1928 Thames flood was a disastrousflood of theRiver Thames that affected much of riverside London on 7 January 1928, as well as places further downriver. Fourteen people died and thousands were made homeless when floodwaters poured over the top of theThames Embankment and part of theChelsea Embankment collapsed. It was the last major flood to affectcentral London, and, along with the disastrousNorth Sea flood of 1953, helped lead to the implementation of newflood control measures that culminated in the construction of theThames Barrier in the 1970s.
During Christmas 1927, heavy snow fell in theCotswolds in west-central England, where the Thames has its source. A sudden thaw occurred over New Year's Eve, followed by unusually heavy rain, doubling the volume of water coming down the river. The sudden rise in water level coincided with a highspring tide and astorm surge caused by a majorextra-tropical cyclone in theNorth Sea. The storm surge raised the water levels in theThames Estuary, measured atSouthend, to 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) above normal.[4]
The funnelling of the water further up the river caused its level to rise even higher. The situation was worsened bycapital dredging that had been carried out between 1909 and 1928, deepening the river channel by about 2 metres (6.6 feet) to allow access for deeper-draughted vessels to thePort of London. This had the side-effect of making it easier for seawater to flow up the Thames on a high tide, increasing the flow on a mean tide by about 4% and raising the tidal range by about 0.7 metres (2.3 feet).[5]
This produced the highest water levels ever recorded in the Thames in London. The flood peaked at about 1:30 am on 7 January when a level of 5.55 metres (18 feet 3 inches) above the datum line was recorded, nearly a foot higher than the previous record.[6] Extensive flooding resulted as the river overflowed the Embankments from theCity of London andSouthwark up toPutney andHammersmith.[4] Serious flooding was also reported inGreenwich,Woolwich and other locations further downriver, causing major property damage.[7][8]
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The damage caused by the flood took several years to repair. Millbank, the most seriously affected area, was largely rebuilt from scratch; many of the run-down dwellings and warehouses that had characterised the area were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished, while the rest were torn down as part of the area's post-flood regeneration. They were replaced with modern office blocks and apartment buildings.Imperial Chemical House (designed by SirFrank Baines, the Principal Architect of the Government'sOffice of Works) was one of the new buildings constructed in the area in 1927–29. The current headquarters ofMI5,Thames House, was built to a very similar (though not identical) design in 1929–1930 on the other side ofHorseferry Road, with the two buildings forming a landmark pair of office blocks facing the river.[9]
A newLambeth Bridge was constructed to replace its dilapidated predecessor, and Horseferry Road was widened to afford access to the bridge. The height of the Embankments was raised and the river wall was strengthened along substantial parts of the river. Proposals were made for the construction of a Thamesflood barrier, but these came to nothing, due to concerns that such a barrier would impede shipping access to the London docks.
The flood of January 1928 was the last major flood in the city centre, although the North Sea flood of 1953 came within millimetres of overtopping the Embankment, and did floodBermondsey and some other low-lying parts of the city. Another flood affected the lower Thames in 1959. In response to the threat of such floods happening again, plans were made in the mid-1960s to build a flood barrier on the Thames to guard against the threat of storm surges. By then, much of London's shipping had moved toTilbury Docks further downriver, greatly reducing the navigational difficulties that a barrier would present. TheThames Barrier project finally got under way in 1974 and the completed barrier was officially opened in 1984.
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A considerable area of the city centre was flooded by this unprecedented combination of events. The first section of the riverbank to give way was opposite theTate Gallery atMillbank, where a 75-foot (23 m) section of the Chelsea Embankment collapsed. The gallery was flooded almost to the tops of the doors on the ground floor (a depth of between five and eight feet 1.5 to 2.4 m),[10] which caused damage to many paintings in the gallery's collections, most notably those ofJ. M. W. Turner.[10][11] NearLambeth Bridge the embankment gave way, sending a wall of water through a generally poor and run-down area; there, nine people drowned (and one died of a heart attack brought on by shock) in their basement apartments, unable to escape from where they were living. Another two people died in Hammersmith, and two more in Fulham.[11] Another 4,000 Londoners were made homeless[11] as water filled the streets to a depth of four feet (1.2 m).[4]
Westminster Hall and theHouse of Commons were also flooded, as were theLondon Underground stations and lines along the riverside. The moat at theTower of London, which had been empty for over 80 years, was refilled by the river, and theBlackwall andRotherhithe Tunnels were submerged.[12] Other buildings that flooded wereLots Road Power Station andWandsworth Gas Works.[11]
The Manchester Guardian described the scene on the morning of 7 January:
Remarkable scenes were witnessed all along the Embankment. At theHouses of Parliament the water "cataracted" over the parapet into the open space at the foot ofBig Ben. The floods penetrated into Old Palace Yard, which shortly after one o'clock was about a foot under water in parts.
Flooding was worst atCharing Cross andWaterloo bridges, where the river sweeps round. Water poured over the Embankment, and the road was covered in a depth of several inches.
At intervals along the Embankment stood tramcars derelict and deserted. Later attempts were made to tow them through the floods by means of motor-lorries. Taxicabs and motor-cars splashed along the far side of the road. The public subway, Westminster Bridge, was flooded to a depth of four feet. There were miniature waterfalls atCleopatra's Needle and theRoyal Air Force Memorial, and the training shipPresident floated at street level.[13]
The flood was short-lived, and the waters subsided by the end of the day. However, it took considerably longer to drain the many roads, tunnels, basements and cellars that had been flooded.[14]