Thames, battle of the, engagement fought on the Thames River near Chatham, Ont. (Oct. 5, 1813), in the War of 1812. Gen. William H. Harrison led an American force of about 3,000 against a British army of approximately 400 regulars commanded by Gen. Henry A. Procter, reinforced by 1,000 Native Americans under Tecumseh. After the British were driven from Detroit, Harrison followed their retreating army into Ontario and up the Thames River until General Procter was forced to give battle. A cavalry charge broke the British ranks, and the Native Americans offered the only real resistance. Tecumseh was slain in battle, thus completely destroying the native confederacy he had raised against the United States. By the battle of the Thames, U.S. control in the Northwest was restored.

Thames, river, c.160 mi (260 km) long, rising NW of Woodstock, S Ont., Canada, and flowing SW past London and Chatham to Lake St. Clair. It is navigable to Chatham, near which was fought (1813) the battle of the Thames (see Thames, battle of the) in the War of 1812.

Thames, Rom. Tamesis, principal river of England, c.210 mi (340 km) long. It rises in four headstreams (the Thames or Isis, Churn, Coln, and Leach) in the Cotswold Hills, E Gloucestershire, and flows generally eastward across S England and through London to the North Sea at The Nore. In its upper course—around and above Oxford—it is often called Isis. The Thames drains c.5,250 sq mi (13,600 sq km); its tributaries include the Windrush, Cherwell, Thame, Kennet, Wey, Mole, Lea, Roding, and Medway. It is joined by canals (including the Oxford, Thames and Severn, and Grand Junction) that cover a wide area. The river is navigable by barges to Lechlade, below which there are a number of locks. The Thames is tidal to Teddington; there is a 23-ft (7-m) difference between low and high tide at London Bridge. The part of the stream near London Bridge is known as the Pool. The main part of the port of London stretches from London Bridge to Blackwall. The Thames Conservancy Board was established in 1857; the docks and the tidal part of the river below Teddington have been administered by the Port of London Authority since 1908. Part of the river is of great beauty, is much used for boating, and is still popular for fishing. The upper valley of the Thames is a broad, flat basin of alluvial clay soil, through which the river winds and turns constantly in all directions. At Goring Gap the valley narrows, separating the Chiltern Hills from the Berkshire Downs. The lower valley forms a second broad basin through which the Thames also meanders. The land around the river was formerly marshy, and the ancient roads were far from the river banks. In the Middle Ages the valley was very prosperous, with many religious houses and several large towns, including Reading and Windsor. Between Oxford and London, the valley is predominantly agricultural, with scattered villages; Reading is the only industrial town there. The Greater London conurbation along the river's lower course is one of the most important industrial regions of Great Britain. Among the many interesting archaeological discoveries made in the valley are fossils of seashells and a human skull from the Paleolithic period. In London the river is crossed by 27 bridges, including the new London Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, and Tower Bridge. There are two main tunnels under the river in London, and one between Dartford and Purfleet, as well as several footpaths and 5 railroad tunnels. In 1963 governmental efforts began to combat pollution of the waters through a series of rules and regulations. At parts along the river downstream flood barriers were constructed, which became operational in 1982, to prevent London from damage by North Sea gales.

Thames, river, c.15 mi (25 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Yantic and Shetucket rivers at Norwich, E Conn., and flowing south to Long Island Sound at New London. Primarily a tidal estuary, it is New London's harbor and the site of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a U.S. navy submarine base. Since 1878 it has been the scene of Yale-Harvard rowing contests.

Sunbury-on-Thames, town (1991 pop. 26,240), Surrey, SE England, on the Thames. Sunbury Park with its walled garden is there. Nearby Shepperton has motion-picture studios and a village center from the 17th-18th cent. The novelist Thomas Love Peacock lived in the area and is buried in Shepperton.

Richmond upon Thames, outer borough (1991 pop. 154,600) of Greater London, SE England. The borough was created in 1965 by the merger of the municipal boroughs of Barnes, Richmond, and Twickenham. Richmond upon Thames is mainly residential, with more than 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) of public recreation grounds and a wetlands wildlife reserve. The annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race on the Thames takes place almost entirely within the borough. Rugby matches between the two schools are also played there. Famous houses include Hampton Court Palace, the residence of Henry VIII, and Strawberry Hill, the home of Horace Walpole.

Kingston upon Thames, outer borough (1991 pop. 130,300) of Greater London, SE England. Mainly residential, it has light engineering works and manufactures electronic equipment. It also contains one of the largest shopping centers in outer London. In the 10th cent. several Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned at Kingston upon Thames; the stone believed to have been used during the coronations is preserved in the marketplace. Modernization of the area began in the early 19th cent. Kingston College of Further Education and Kingston Polytechnic are in the borough. Kingston Grammar School was founded in 1561.

Foster, Norman Robert, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, 1935-, British architect, b. Manchester, grad. Manchester Univ. school of architecture (1961), Yale school of architecture (M.A., 1962). Foster and three other architects formed the influential Team 4, working from 1963 to 1967, when he established his own firm. Noted for the elegant and graceful modernism of his many commissions, he also pays sharp attention to detailing. Foster finds expressive power in a wide variety of cutting-edge technologies, fitting each building to its site, street, or landscape and often taking into account various ecological factors. He first won acclaim for his 1964 "Cockpit," a minimalist glass bubble partially dug into the earth in Cornwall. Highlights of his early architectural output include the world's first inflatable office building (1970), the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, England (1977), and the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, Hong Kong (1985), an innovative skyscraper filled with natural light and lifted on columns above a public plaza.

Among the prolific Foster's later works are the Stansted Airport, London, with its lightweight "floating roof" (1991); Carré d'Art, Nǐmes, France (1993); the Joslyn Art Museum annex, Omaha, Nebr. (1994); the 60-story triangular Commerzbank, Frankfurt, Germany (1997), the world's first ecological high-rise with a building-height atrium core and nine tall sky gardens; the vast skylight-roofed Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong (1998); and the renovation of Berlin's Reichstag (1999), with its glass dome and suspended interior spiral ramp. Foster has reshaped London's 21st-century skyline with such projects as the new city hall (2001), an inventive leaning sphere of glass and tubular steel also fitted with a curling interior ramp, and the Swiss Re tower (2004), a 40-story elongated oval nicknamed the Gherkin, sheathed in spirals of glass and featuring interior gardens on each level. Among his other 21st-century works are the Millau bridge (2004) over the River Tarn in France's Massif Central, the world's tallest road bridge, and the Hearst Tower, New York City (2006), a shimmering skyscraper sheathed in glass and diamond-gridded stainless steel built atop the company's original 1928 stone structure. Foster was knighted in 1990, and honored with a life peerage and awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1999.

ancient Tamesis

Principal river of England. It rises in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire and winds 205 mi (330 km) eastward across south-central England into a great estuary, through which it empties into the North Sea. It is tidal for about 65 mi (104 km). Known by the Romans and by early English chroniclers, it has been celebrated by bards throughout history. One of the world's most important commercial waterways, it is navigable by large vessels to London.

Learn more about Thames, River with a free trial on Britannica.com.

ancient Tamesis

Principal river of England. It rises in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire and winds 205 mi (330 km) eastward across south-central England into a great estuary, through which it empties into the North Sea. It is tidal for about 65 mi (104 km). Known by the Romans and by early English chroniclers, it has been celebrated by bards throughout history. One of the world's most important commercial waterways, it is navigable by large vessels to London.

Learn more about Thames, River with a free trial on Britannica.com.