On Thursday 9th March, as part of our Geography topic, Y6 went over to the Thames Barrier in Woolwich for a visit and a workshop.

We learnt all about how the Thames Barrier has stopped 207 flooding incidents and about what could happen to London if the Barrier wasn’t there. We found out a lot of facts such as: The Thames is one of the cleanest rivers in England and salmon are returning to the river. Another fact is that the maximum speed of the Thames is 2.75 knots. The Thames Barrier was built because of the 1953 flood that drowned the south east coast, it was caused by a perfect storm. They started building it in 1974 and was finished in 1982; the first time it was used was 1983 and was officially opened in 1984 by the Queen.

This was a very interesting trip and it has definitely helped us in geography and our topic on extreme Earth and flooding.