The Thames River is the longest and most famous river in England, flowing through London and southern England. The name of the river is dervied from the Brittonic name for it, Tamesas. Throughout history, it has been a hubub of human activity, leading to the creation of London and Oxford, as well as several other major cities. The Thames River has lead to much of the commerce in England. 

However during the early modern history, people and industries started throwing away their trash and waste into the river, creating a buildup that could overflow, especially when it rained. The waste from such industires like slaugherhouses, fish markets, and tanneries would flow into the streets and sewer. The issue kept getting worse until the city created a vast sewer system to mitigate the issue. 

In The Interesting Narrative of  the Life of  Olaudan Equiano, the Thames River is mentioned once when he says he was sailing from Portsmouth for the River Thames (chapter 4).