dangers on the ice

Hazel Forsyth from the Museum of London warns that walking on the frozen river came with risks

How did the Thames freezing affect London?

The rarity of the event caused people to enjoy it but the reality was rather different for the economy. A large amount of London’s goods were transported via the river, either through coastal trade or small vessels carrying cargo to and from ocean-going ships.

The ease of transporting heavy or perishable goods was very profound and affected everyone. Unless people had stockpiled in anticipation, they were probably suffering severe hardship. The City made attempts to stockpile fuel in various warehousing across London but those supplies dwindled from time to time. Of course, whenever you have a shortage of anything, prices go up, so those who were less able to afford things would have been more impoverished. Communication would also have been very difficult.

What did the frozen river look like?

The paintings in our collection suggest it looked almost like an Arctic landscape with vast, sort of jagged piles of ice. People have tended to say ‘this is just a load of nonsense, but it can’t possibly have been like that’. But actually if you look at the way pack ice forms, I think it’s very accurate.

How much of the River Thames froze?

To be honest, we don’t know as there isn’t detailed enough information. It’s fair to say it froze between the City of London and Westminster — beyond that, it’s very difficult to know. The likelihood is that the river was fairly solid in both directions but there may have been gaps and so much would have depended on local conditions. If it was fairly windy, ice could break up and then harden again downstream. The fact that the Thames froze didn’t mean it was all solid and possible to stand on — only patches were strong enough.

Did many people fall through the ice?

Every time [the river froze], people stepped onto the ice thinking it was stronger than it really was and suffered as a consequence. There were lots of broken bones, dunkings and fatalities.

One of the most famous deaths was recorded in John Gay’s poem Trivia. It’s about the fate of a fruit vender who apparently staggered under the weight of her great basket of hot apples and disappeared below the ice. He said, “Her head, chopt off, from her lost shoulders flies”. Then there’s this rather dramatic account of “And pip-pip-pip– along the ice resounds” as her hot pippins bobbed against the ice.

Did any fair booths get caught unawares?

There was a booth set up by Mister Laurence of Queenhithe, near Brooke Wharf, at the 1814 fair. I guess he thought two men could guard it overnight, leaving them with some gin and some other bits and pieces to keep them going. In the morning there were reportedly nine people inside [the tent], then the ice started to break apart and move downstream. They escaped by climbing onto the piers at Blackfriars Bridge and a couple of adjacent barges. They were very fortunate. The Museum of London is hosting a Thames frost fair storytelling event on 30-31 December and the Museum of London Docklands is also hosting a fair-themed art project on 22-23 December. Both events are free and family friendly. For more info, visit museumoflondon.org.uk