Helped by London Bridge’s narrow arches preventing icy water from flowing, the Thames’ frost fairs ofered a multitude of amusements
MAIN: The frost fair of 1814 was the last time that the river froze to the required depth RIGHT: At an earlier event, 18thcentury revellers play an icy version of golf
BRIDGEMAN IMAGES X3, GETTY X2, MUSEUM OF LONDON X1
Flush-faced revellers drinking, dancing, flirting and gorging around glowing braziers on a frozen River !ames. We can almost smell the ox being roasted, the apples being toasted, the ale being hoisted in this merry vision of Olde London Towne. And, perhaps incredibly for such a romantic notion, it’s largely true. Between 1309 and 1814, the !ames froze on 23 occasions, five of which saw ice thick enough to bear a full-on, traditional frost fair.