Read on Twitter
I will only get excited about snow in London when it's cold enough again for the Thames to ice over and we can reclaim it for the public and hold Frost Fairs, like we used to up until 1814.
In 1565 it was so cold the Thames froze from London Bridge to Westminster & people played football on the ice. The Thames was busier than any street, & it stayed frozen until 31st Jan, when it thawed suddenly causing flash floods, collapsing houses & drowning many people.
In 1683 the cracking of river ice was louder than the sound of muskets. People took over the river, carving stalls & erecting tents to sell mead, wine, baked potatoes & coffee. Bear bating, sledging & newly invented sports covered the river.
The drivers of Hackney Carriages began to leave the streets and ply their trade on the river, where they "found better custom".
Here is a poem about the 1683 Frost Fair, which was printed by M. Haley & J. Millet and sold near St Pauls Cathedral
The Frost Fair of 1715-16 was also a good one, with a new "canvas city" built on the river.
The Gentleman's Magazine wrote of the 1788-89 Frost Fair that Putney to Rotherhithe "was one continued scene of merriment", the river a "stage on which there were all kinds of diversions". But they don't mention that all along the riverside were jobless paupers freezing to death.
In 1814 winter the frozen Thames was home to over 8 printing presses to sell commemorative images & text. "Friends, now is your time to support the freedom of the press. Can the press have greater liberty? Here you can find it working in the middle of the Thames!"
By February 3d, the printing presses had been joined by swings, bookshops, dancing areas, skittles & more. The piles of ice created a scene said to look like a marble quarry, especially under reflected moonlight
Anyway. As many have said, it won't happen now. The Thames has been "improved", straightened, channelled & barriered. Not to mention a climate breakdown.
But the collective memories are nice.
But the collective memories are nice.
And this, by George Cruikshank in 1814, of the printing press, skittles, slipping, bar fights, dancing, hot food and gin.
"The Thames during the Great Frost of 1739", by
Jan Griffier II (1739)
Jan Griffier II (1739)
The Thames in 1677
