As we plunge further into the depths of the season for clutching onto hot water bottles and moaning about the weather, I thought I’d take it upon myself to treat you all to a long-overdue Secret London history lesson. Today’s topic of choice, I hear you ask? London being absolutely bloody freezing, of course. Grab yourselves a cuppa and a cosy blanket, folks – you’re going to need them.
Now, it will come as a surprise to nobody that London in the winter has always been notorious for being pretty darn chilly. But did you know that the capital was once so cold that the River Thames froze over completely? Well actually, the Thames froze over a fair few times throughout the period now known as the ‘Little Ice Age‘, but one particular winter (known as the Great Frost) was so frosty that the river was topped with 12 inches of solid ice, making way for the two-month-long Great Frost Fair – but more on that later…
The weather was – of course – partially to blame for the freezing-over of the Thames, but London Bridge happened to play a part in it, too. At the time, the medieval bridge had been built on several piers that were quite close together. During the winters, pieces of ice would get wedged between the gaps between the piers, acting as a dam for the river, and therefore making it easier for the river to freeze over. The Thames was used as a primary method of transportation in London, and so when it froze over, many people couldn’t do their jobs or get to where they needed to be. But Londoners are nothing if not resilient and opportunistic, and so they did their utmost to make the best out of a bad situation.
The Great Frost Fair
At some point in the middle of November, 1683, the temperatures in London started to drastically plummet, and by mid-December, the Great Frost had officially began. On January 5, 1684, the River Thames had frozen over completely into a solid sheet of ice. Some rather pioneering Londoners decided to test the strength of the ice, and a coach and six horses were successfully driven across the frozen river. The test was officially passed, and the very next day (January 6 – 341 years ago to the exact day), the stretch of ice between the riverbanks was filled with rows of hastily-constructed stalls and booths. The Great Frost Fair had begun.
What followed was an eerie mixture of happiness and hardship. Whilst the severe frost meant a time of drastic poverty, cold and starvation for some; ever-resilient Londoners used it as a way to continue to make some money and stay positive. The fair saw stalls selling all sorts of food, drinks and souvenirs take to the surface of the Thames, alongside temporary ice-skating spots, pop-up pubs, and spaces to play games and watch puppet shows. Essentially, the Great Frost Fair walked, so that Winter Wonderland could run…
The hefty amount of weight being held on the surface of the river was precarious to say the least, and it did lead to some tragedies. The Great Frost Fair came to an end in February, 1684, after almost two months of frost. Over the course of 400 years, nine Frost Fairs were held on the frozen surface of the River Thames in total. Some prior to the Great Frost, and some after. But the unrivalled severity of the winter of 1683-1684 meant that the Great Frost Fair was the only fair to be so substantial in size and duration, becoming somewhat of a local attraction. The final Frost Fair was held in 1814, and – thankfully – the River Thames has never frozen over since.