Thames Barrier Visitors Centre

Constructed between 1974 and 1982, the Thames Barrier enables the city of London to keep the Thames from flooding the city. And that people, is a good thing! The visit includes a 22 acre park and you can see some of the structure from the inside along with information about the water itself and some of the species that live in the water.
The complex is in London itself but not anywhere downtown so you’ll have to get there via a taxi or possibly the tube although I’m not 100% sure if it goes all the way out there — I visited this with my middle school years ago. It was fun and definitely something different that most tourists overlook.

The museum was ok but it was quit small, but did teach you valuable information about the Thames Barrier and why it was built. It’s good for children really there are interactive games to play which are on the walls and there are a lot of different buttons to press which kept me going for ages. It did not take long to get there but it is not very well sign posted. It did not take long to get round about 30mins, but there was a film which we watched which was about the building of the barrier.

You may think that visiting the Thames barrier would be boring but you’d be very wrong. The information centres open to the public and is ideal for all the family to visit, it is full of interesting information about London’s flood defenses, there’s a working model of the barrier, a short video and there’s a guide who can answer your questions. The video shows its construction, operation and how it protects London from flooding. there’s lots of colourful displays which explain the wildlife and environment of the River Thames which my daughter and I found very interesting. There’s a nice café on the upper level which is accessible by lift however the day we went the lift was out of order so I had to climb up about 25 stairs. From the café there are spectacular views of the river and the barrier itself and there’s benches for al fresco eating and drinking. If you are in receipt of DLA (take proof) you are allowed free entry to the visitor centre and blue badges park for free. There’s lots of parking and there’s also a learning centre for kids day trips with their schools however we weren’t allowed access to that when we went. It is very hard to find, there’s no brown tourist signs as yet, access is from (river side) Woolwich lower road, best to ring for directions if you get lost as I did. But worth the extra effort to find out about one of London’s great defenses and a great experience to understand the history of the river.

I really quite like this visitor centre. Firstly — its a shame that you dont getto actually go onto the barrier but its clear why this isnt possible — how would you get there! Its slightly off the beaten track so make sure you follow signs carefully and dont worry if you think you are heading towards an industrial estate — you’re in the right area! The views from the river are nice and you can take a walk up anddown the river from this point to woolwich or even all the way to the dome if you want. This is an educational visit rather than one to wow you — but it is well located fora nice walk and a bit of information too.