Lightermen Of The River Thames
Historically the River Thames has been a highway for commercial traffic. Lightermen and Watermen have ferried goods and people up, down and, across the river. As the city began to expand and bridges were built the need for Watermen’s services began to decline.
Since the 1960’s lighterage has declined rapidly owing to the development of more modern methods of transporting freight. In the 1920s and 30s, there were as many as ten thousand Lightermen earning a living on the Thames. At the time these photos were shot between 1978 and 1996 there remained less than two hundred. To survive Lighterage companies now provide a whole range of services, from film production to the hiring of craft for recreational purposes.
