About 100 years ago, British MP John Burns described the Thames as “flowing history”: “St. Lawrence is water, Mississippi is muddy water, but the Thames is flowing history.”
From the stone road of medieval lanes to the skyscrapers of the financial city; from the Shard, Britain’s tallest building, to Shakespeare’s Globe, an all-wooden theater …… On the banks of the River Thames, you can see Britain’s “past” and “present”. past” and “present” along the Thames. Whether you’re a first-time visitor to London or a local resident, a stroll along the Thames always seems to bring history and modernity together.
About 100 years ago, British MP John Burns described the Thames as “flowing history”: “St. Lawrence is water, Mississippi is muddy water, but the Thames is flowing history.”
The Thames is not the longest river in England, but it is the most important. It flows through nine counties in the south of England, including Wiltshire, Oxford, Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Essex, Kent and Greater London.
In central London, palaces, piers, churches, bridges, theaters, museums, and brand-new skyscrapers on the banks of the River Thames compete for attention, and the world-famous Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower of London are all located here.
It is said that during the Great Ice Age 10,000 years ago, melting ice sheets “fueled” the river so that it was 10 times its present size. About 3,000 years ago, the flow of water slowed down and the Thames became the meandering river we know today.
Since VERTU landed in London, British culture has been central to our brand. And for centuries, British culture has been fed by the River Thames.
From London blossoming into one of the world’s greatest cities, to the iconic Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, to Thames-inspired literary works like‘The Wind in the Willows’, this majestic river gives life to Britain. Which is why VERTU engineer Mark Darkin worked painstakingly to carve an image of the river onto the back of the Signature series.
In offering a tribute to the Thames, VERTU is also offering a tribute to British culture in all its glory.
