The River Thames has played an important role in Britain's history ever since man's earliest times. This book provides an aerial view of the river's history, revealing many aspects which are hidden from the observer at ground level, as well as giving a fresh perspective on much that is familiar. The volume contains 150 colour photographs, chosen from a private collection of aerial photographs of the Thames, built up by the authors over a period of 15 years. Reproduced here are some unique documents, such as photographs of archaeological sites that have been visible for only one day during the last decade and may never show up again. From the air, prehistoric burial sites and Roman villas can be revealed as outlines in a field of ripening corn or barley, having previously gone undiscovered by ground-based archaeologists. Other photographs are designed to show the landscape and geography of the areas through which the river flows. Patterns of settlement are illustrated by towns and villages along its path, and there are views of the changing face of London, including pictures taken as developments in the docklands have gathered pace. There are bridges, historic houses, castles and forts and also more modern defence systems, such as the Thames barrier against flooding. The places covered range from the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire out to the farmost reaches of the estuary. From a Roman villa in Oxfordshire to the palace at Hampton Court, from the crossing of the Thames by the prehistoric ridgeway path to Brunel's railway bridge at Maidenhead, and from an abandoned medieval village to the new housing on the Isle of Dogs.