The River Thames Frost Fairs were festivals held on the frozen river between 1608-1814. The “Little Ice Age” allowed for the river to freeze over, and people could walk and ride on it. The first fair was in 1608, and the largest was in 1683/84. Pollution increased from open fires, and the last fair was in 1814.
The River Thames Frost Fairs were an assortment of festivals held on the Thames between 1608-1814. The Frost Fairs were enabled by a total freeze of the river, allowing people to walk and ride on it. Many contemporary authors have written about the Frostfairs, and the events of the fairs are often integrated into historical fiction as they were so memorable. In some years, historical revival groups stage reruns of the Frost Fairs, even if they no longer have access to a frozen river to hold them.
During the period marked by the Frost Fairs, Britain’s climate was significantly colder than it is now. This period of European history is sometimes called the “Little Ice Age”, in reference to the cooler prevailing temperatures. The River Thames, which flows through the City of London, froze over repeatedly during this period; severe frosts were documented as early as AD 250, with contemporaries writing of walking, sledding and driving on the frozen river. Both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I apparently enjoyed travel along the frozen Thames, walking on the ice and sledding along part of its length.
The condition of the River Thames was also markedly different from today. The wide river banks favored slow motion, which would have allowed the river to freeze over more quickly. Also, the configuration of the bridges in the river was very different, leading to a markedly different water level and flow rate than seen today.
The first recorded frost fair was in 1608 and it appears to have been a relatively small affair. Visitors to the fair could play games, eat food, buy drinks and visit a variety of stalls. The largest and most famous Frost Fair took place in 1683/84, lasted a total of several months and was characterized by a wide variety of diversions. However, contemporaries wrote that this Frost Fair came with a hidden cost; pollution has increased dramatically from open fires, for example, and nearby parks have been deprived of game.
Ice festivals would have been a pleasant way to spend an afternoon for Brits of all classes. Kings and nobles have visited the Frostfairs alongside less fortunate members of British society, with many people buying souvenirs to commemorate their presence. After the Frost Fair of 1814, the Thames failed to freeze high enough to allow for a fair, making Frost Fairs a historic event that seems unlikely to happen again.
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