In and around the Pool of London

Historical Profiles: NarrowBoat, Spring 2026

Christopher M Jones

Chris M. Jones studies a series of images showing the type of vessels and traffic in the vicinity of the Pool of London

The origin of the name ‘Pool’ for the part of the River Thames through central London probably predates the Roman occupation, as it was already an established trading centre by then. The tidal channel was bordered by marshes and thick forests which gave security to the merchant ships and small craft travelling inland to the Pool, which was the limit of navigation for shipping due to the first ford upstream crossing the river where London Bridge is presently located. Here in the Pool, ships lay at anchor while their cargoes were transhipped into smaller vessels and unloaded on the bank or some wooden jetty projecting out over the foreshore. Export goods followed the same route in reverse. Over time these jetties were replaced by wood and stone wharves which formed the beginning of the commercial wharves and docks of later years. But it was the rapid growth of merchant trading in the 16th and 17th centuries that overwhelmed the available facilities, and the port soon became …