Join us for an evening exploring the two services that have kept the Thames - and the city - safe for centuries
Doors: 7pm.
Long before the creation of the Metropolitan Police, The Thames River Police was established in 1798 to tackle crime on London’s bustling waterways.
ROBERT JEFFRIES will explore the origins of this pioneering force, the challenges of policing the river, and the lasting impact of the service on modern policing. Drawing from his deep knowledge as curator of the Thames Police Museum, Robert will bring to life the stories of riverine law enforcement, smuggling, and maritime crime and tell how the service became the template for organised policing around the world.
From warehouses packed with flammable goods to fires aboard ships, the River Thames has seen its fair share of infernos, and the river itself has provided an invaluable resource for fighting fire in the city.
Historian BILLY READING will trace the development of firefighting along the Thames, from early river-based fireboats to the Lambeth River Station service that emerged in the 19th C. Billy’s expertise in industrial and emergency service heritage will illuminate the crucial role of fire fighting teams in safeguarding the city - on water and on land.
ROBERT JEFFRIES has been the Hon. Curator of the Thames Police Museum at Wapping.for the last 27 years. He served as a police constable in the Met Police for a total of 32 years between 1973 and 2005, and for the last 17 years served in the Thames River Police, based at Wapping and Waterloo Pier. He continues to run the museum in a voluntary capacity.
BILLY HURLEY READING is an Architectural Historian and author with a specialist focus London’s architectural heritage. He is recognised as the leading expert on Britain’s historic Fire Stations. With twenty years experience in his field, he now works as a Buildings Inspector for Historic England, leading on the Government Historic Estate, particularly the buildings of Whitehall. Billy’s forthcoming book on Faith Buildings in the City of London is due out this summer.