Ten years after the Marchioness pleasure boat sank on a summer’s night in 1989 – drowning 51 people, mainly young partygoers, in the swirling waters of the Thames – Anthony Clarke, then a lord justice of appeal, was asked to hold an inquiry.
As a result of his authoritative and swiftly delivered reports, safety on the river has significantly improved. There are now four RNLI lifeboat stations covering the busy, urban waterway from Teddington to Gravesend in Kent.
