SS Robin, with the Canary Wharf skyline in the background (photo by Dean Nicholas) While the Cutty Sark and HMS Belfast are well-known icons of Britain's marine history, London's only other National Historic Ships Register Grade I-listed vessel was, until recently, in serious danger of being scrapped. The SS Robin, built at Bow Creek in 1890, is the world's oldest working steamer, and hauled raw materials all over Europe during the Industrial Revolution. Bought......

Waterfront London, which opened today, looks at waterside development in London; recently completed, underway or in the pipeline. It considers how our waterfronts are transforming and being embraced as essential public spaces whereas, not long ago, we buried rivers, turned them into sewers or filled in and built on them. The enlightened approach, celebrated here, is to embrace the waterways and exploit their potential as transport routes, leisure facilities and biodiverse environments. The key......

Hello Jeff! But don't bother opening your mouth to reply, because I haven't got the time to listen; I'm too busy celebrating! No no, don't worry, you haven't missed St. Satan's Day. I'm celebrating because it's been a year since I started doing stand-up! You'll have to forgive me, as this may be quite a self-indulgent post. But I can scarcely believe I've managed to persevere for this long! You see, I'm a notoriously......

The Health Protection Agency is calling for better monitoring of Thames water quality, particularly in areas where the river is used for watersports and fishing, following the publication of its Thames Recreational Users Study today. The report focuses on "potential risks to public health posed by faecal pollution of human or animal origin" in the river. That's poo to you and me. Although the Thames is known as one of the cleanest rivers in Europe,......

10. Scareships Just previous to the First World War, as Germany prepared to release the Zeppelin air ships, a spate of phantom airship sightings took grip on the world. London was just one city in the UK to become besieged by the mysterious aircraft that had no definitive origin. Were they the first UFOs? How did such craft seem to vanish or escape pursuit? Here's a chronicle pertaining to the capital: 9th May 1909......

We have to admit when we first saw this advertised we didn't have much of an idea what to expect. Henry VIII certainly knew how to cut it with the ladies, but we reckoned that a re-enactment of His Majesty's finest chat-up lines was unlikely, particularly in the middle of a river. It turns out that the Tudor Pull is run by the Thames Traditional Rowing Association and features crews of six oarsmen rowing......

200 years of keeping the bastards at bay have all come to naught - the salmon are back: Salmon have been introduced to the River Thames after experts declared the water clean enough for the fish to breed - after almost 200 years. The young salmon, were released into the Thames tributary, Lambourne river, at Welford, near Newbury, Berks. Thames salmon died out in the 1830s, with salmon from other sources, which do not......

Here's an alert from the Westminster Police Security Desk: This message is to give you and your business, colleagues and friends advanced warning of Intermittent but significant additional Helicopter activity from 0800- 1600hrs (weather permitting) between Tuesday 5/02/07 and Wednesday 6/02/07. This is due to the filming of a major new film. Filming will take place over The London Eye / Victoria Embankment SW1 / River Thames between Westminster Bridge & Hungerford Bridge. Some......

We have a healthy respect for Jaws, but the likelihood of a Great White swimming down the Thames is about as likely as spotting a whale in that muck. Alligator though... there's a concept we can get in a panic about. We have toilets and sewers in London. With all this radiation knocking about Christ knows what will happen the next time we try to flush an animal down the loo... This kind of......

Yesterday, Londonist went down to Trafalgar Sq. to see comedian Tim Fitzhigham attempting to inflate the world's largest ever man-inflated balloon. By the time we arrived he had been inflating for two hours and had already fainted. Twice. The man is a loon. However, he is a seasoned professional, by no means was this his first record attempt, he has made something of a career out of them. Not only did he break a......

Dhiren Barot who admitted conspiracy to murder last month, "planned to pack limousines with gas cylinders and also use a radioactive "dirty" bomb": "There were plans for the detonation of a radiation dispersal device, more commonly known as a dirty bomb, the use of a petrol tanker to cause an explosion, and an attack on London's rail or Underground network, including the Heathrow Express, of an explosion on a Tube train while in a......

Event of the Week Confronting the Goldilocks enigma: why is the Universe so uncannily fit for life?, Imperial College tomorrow As topics go, they don't really come much bigger than this: The latest advances in cosmology have allowed scientists to piece together the story of our universe in unprecedented detail. One of the striking features to emerge is how the universe is exquisitely bio-friendly. Even slight changes in the laws of physics or the......

We hate to say it, but the Daily mail might have actually come up with an interesting story today. They've published this picture which shows all the boats which passed between Tower Bridge and London Bridge in one hour in a single composite image. The montage was put together by photographer Alisdair MacDonald, who set up his camera on London Bridge between midday and one o'clock and photographed every vessel that passed. According to......

It’s not often we feel the need to applaud a lawyer, but Lewis Pugh will deserve a pat on his sodden, algae-plastered back if he successfully swims the entire length of the Thames over the next few weeks. Mr Pugh, a veteran long-distance swimmer, is attempting the insane journey to raise awareness of environmental issues. Speaking of global warming, he commented: I'm hoping my swim down the River Thames will bring the message home......

Sunday 23rd April is St George's Day and the Mayor of London has muscled in on celebrations with three events over the weekend. Saturday - Festival For St George at Covent Garden The sadism and shrill abuse of Punch and Judy shows are an acquired taste and Morris Dancing is less than enticing as a Saturday afternoon treat... however, that's what you're going to get at the Royal Society of St George organised Festival......

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of a bully like the spectacle of a bunch of balloons floating lazily across a filthy river. At least that's the message being sent out later today (we think) when Chantelle 'almost a celebrity' Houghton and Nicky 'almost a mayor' Gavron are joined by a bunch of kids to let loose a volley of hope across the bows of the dread ship Bully: Ms Houghton, deputy mayor Nicky......

Take a look at this low-resolution pic, obtained by Skyscrapernews.com using slightly devious means. They’ve hit upon plans for a couple of new towers, at Nine Elms in Vauxhall. Well, we’re impressed. Especially at the laser beams – some kind of anti-terrorist measure? This concept image from Squire and Partners shows proposed twin towers behind the residential St George’s Wharf. The positioning and style round off the skyline nicely, making the recently approved Vauxhall......

Londonist would just like to say 'well done sir' to Tim Fitzhigham who, apart from having a rather cracking surname, was [not so] recently successful in his attempt to break what is believed to be the world's oldest record: sailing down the River Thames in a paper boat. The original record was set by the 383 years ago by the 17th century poet, John Taylor, who built his paper boat to demonstrate the quality......

As you may already know, Londonist has a long and prestigious history as far as the game of poker is concerned... ...Ok, we won a media tournament once, but we still think that gives us the right to report on the forthcoming London Poker Open as if we know what we're talking about. "A lifestyle poker experience beyond your imagination," the London open costs $10,000 to take part (not that bad when you take......

In Los Angeles, tourists are regularly accosted by street-corner vendors selling "maps of stars' homes". These should really be called "maps of stars' gates" since that's all you're likely to see - no peeks of Robert De Niro putting out the rubbish, alas. Now, it seems, Visit London is bringing the trend to our fair city by having "celebrities" point out their favourite sights and sounds in their particular corner of the metropolis. (Here's......

We have to say thanks to LinkMachineGo for pointing us in the direction of this Guardian article on "dead bodies found in the Thames". The article contains at least one shiver-inducing statistic: "Along the 213-mile long Thames, a body is retrieved from the river on average every week." Apparently the life expectancy for anyone falling in the river around Big Ben and the London Eye is just two minutes, but the "blackest part of......