10th June 1829: The first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race takes place at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire

The idea for the race came from two students, Charles Merivale of Cambridge and Charles Wordsworth of Oxford, who proposed a race between their two universities. It took place over approximately 2¼ miles of the River Thames from Hambleden Lock to Henley Bridge.

4th November 1890: City and South London Railway, the world’s first deep-level underground ‘tube’ railway, officially opened

The construction of the railway presented numerous engineering challenges including the need to tunnel under the River Thames, but it was achieved using the ‘Greathead Shield’ which allowed workers to dig and line the tunnel simultaneously.