The Thames Barrier is not the sole protector of London against flooding. It is an integral part of a larger flood defence network.
There are more than 36 industrial floodgates protecting riverside industry and 380 smaller, moveable defences. At the Thames Barrier we are also responsible for a dropdown barrier at Barking and three other large scale barriers located at the Royal Docks.
The location of these other major gates along the Thames Estuary is shown in a map which you can download below.
Defences from the Barrier down to the coast
Over 30 kilometres of flood defences were built downstream (estuary side) of the Barrier. These defences included the 60 metre high Barking Barrier. The Barking Barrier has a number of drop gates, which are held up, out of the water when not in use. This means commercial ships can use the Barking Creek uninterrupted. Read more about the Barking Barrier on our associated gates page.
Defences from the Barrier up through London
Upstream of Putney on the south bank and Hammersmith on the north, banks were also raised giving the same level of protection as in central London. These upstream defences reduce the risk of flooding when high upriver flows coincide with high tides that are not large enough to close the barrier.
Whilst these defences were being put in place we also made improvements to the riverside, like building river walks into the bank reconstruction work. We also made sure there was till potential for riverside commerce and industry.
