<P> The funnelling of the water further up the river caused its level to rise even higher . The situation was worsened by capital dredging which had been carried out between 1909 and 1928, deepening the river channel by about 2 metres (6 ft) to allow access for deeper - draughted vessels to the Port of London . This had the side - effect of making it easier for sea water to flow up the Thames on a high tide, increasing the flow on a mean tide by about 4% and raising the tidal range by about 0.7 metres (2 ft). </P> <P> This produced the highest water levels ever recorded in the Thames in London . The flood peaked at about 1.30 am on 7 January when a level of 5.55 metres (18 ft 3 in) above the datum line was recorded, nearly a foot higher than the previous record . Extensive flooding resulted as the river overflowed the Embankments from the City of London and Southwark up to Putney and Hammersmith . Serious flooding was also reported in Greenwich, Woolwich and other locations further downriver, causing major property damage . </P> <P> A considerable area of the city centre was flooded by this unprecedented combination of events . The first section of the riverbank to give way was opposite the Tate Gallery at Millbank, where a 75 - foot (25 m) section of the Chelsea Embankment collapsed . The gallery was flooded almost to the tops of the doors on the ground floor (a depth of between five and eight feet 1.5 to 2.8 m), which caused damage to many paintings in the gallery's collections, most notable those of JMW Turner . Near Lambeth Bridge, the embankment gave way sending a wall of water through a generally poor and run - down area where 9 people drowned (and one died of a heart attack brought on by shock) in their basement apartments, unable to escape from where they were living . Another two people died in Hammersmith, and two more in Fulham . Another 4,000 Londoners were made homeless, as water filled the streets to a depth of four feet (1.2 m). </P> <P> Westminster Hall and the House of Commons were also flooded, as were the London Underground stations and lines along the riverside . The moat at the Tower of London, which had been empty for over 80 years, was refilled by the river, and the Blackwall and Rotherhithe Tunnels were submerged . Other buildings that flooded were Lots Road Power Station and Wandsworth Gas Works . </P>

When was the last time the river thames flooded