Thames Barrier - London, Great Britain.
N 51° 29.728 E 000° 02.211
31U E 294319 N 5709088
The Thames Barrier is one of the Worlds largest movable dams. Located downstream of central London, Its purpose is to prevent London from being flooded by exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the sea.
Waymark Code: WMFFJV
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/12/2012
Views: 11
The Thames Barrier is Britains largest movable flood barriers. The Environment Agency runs and maintains the Thames Barrier as well as the capital’s other flood defences.
"The barrier spans 520 metres across the River Thames near Woolwich, and it protects 125 square kilometres of central London from flooding caused by tidal surges.
It became operational in 1982 and has 10 steel gates that can be raised into position across the River Thames. When raised, the main gates stand as high as a five-storey building and as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each main gate weighs 3,300 tonnes." Text Source: (
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"The Thames Barrier needs to be raised (closed) only during high tide; at ebb tide it can be lowered to release the water that backs up behind it. Its northern bank is in Silvertown in the London Borough of Newham and its southern bank is in the New Charlton area of Charlton in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The report of Sir Hermann Bondi into the North Sea flood of 1953 affecting parts of the Thames Estuary and parts of London[1] was instrumental in the building of the barrier."