River+transportation+in+London

River Transport in London.
The river was an important aspect of transportation in London in the 18th century, especially when roads around the city were often in poor condition and congested. There were some private boats, but most people hired one rather like a taxi, and Thames watermen had a monopoly. A boat could only pass through London Bridge at full tide, and even then it could be hazardous.

The river was mostly lined with buildings, but in many places stairs led along an alley between buildings allowing passengers to disembark and get to their destination.

By the mid 18th century fashionable dwellings had moved away from the river to Soho and Mayfair, but some great houses were still there and had private steps.

Here are some public steps from this Wikipedia article.

There's a bit more at London Onine.

=
 Public stairs in use on the River Thames early 1700s ===== In 1746 the surveyor and cartographer [|John Rocque] published a map of London [|[10]] that listed the main stairs and docks then in use on the Thames.**On the London side of the river, going up stream:** The York Stairs in about 1780
 * * The Old Swan,
 * Coleharbour,
 * The Steel Yard,
 * Dowgate,
 * Three Cranes,
 * [|Queenhithe] ,
 * Trig,
 * Paul's Wharf,
 * Common Stairs, or Puddle Dock, || * [|Blackfriars] ,
 * Dorset,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">White Friars,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Temple,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Essex] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Arundel] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Surrey,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Strand] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Somerset] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Savoy], || * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Worcester,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Salisbury,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Ivybridge,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Exchange,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|York] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Black Lion,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Hungerford,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Whitehall] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Privy Garden,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Manchester, || * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">[|Westminster Stairs] ,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Parliament,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Horse Ferry,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Ranelagh,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Hospital,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Bishop,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Old Magpie,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Feathers,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Old Church,
 * <span style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding: 0px;">Beaufort. ||

The following needs tidying. From The Tradesman's Universal Director More details there about the prices between stairs. " Waterman. The London Waterman who plies upoaiflie <span class="gstxt_hlt" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: inherit;">Thames with oars or skulls, is limited as to his sare ; he may however earn 3 or 4 shillings a day in summer-time; but in a hard winter they are starving. It is necessary to be an apprentice, and free of the Watermen's company to be intitled to the privilege ©f rowing on the river ; but it is so laborious an employment tkat they seldom have any thing with an apprentice ; and they rteed no other stock when they let up for themselves than a <span class="gstxt_hlt" style="background-color: yellow; font-family: inherit;">boat>aiid Oars, which will cost them about 10 or 12 L //ic// '"bn //minvro// nA

<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">The Rates of Watermen as they are set forth by the lord mayor and court of aldermen. -.•' •■,.,/ . 1 //..yr.// T <span style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right; text-indent: 0px;">. Oars. Skul. <span style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 1em;">.-. s. d. s. d. <span style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">From London to Lime-house, New-crane, Shadwel- J dock, 6ull-wharf, Ratcliff cross J<span class="gstxt_sup" style="bottom: 0.5em; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; position: relative;">1 To Wapping-dock, Wapping new, and Wapping old //~i// <span class="gstxt_sub" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; position: relative; top: 0.3em;">v stairs, the Hermitage, Rotherith church stairs, and >o Rotherith stairs —. J From St. Olave'sto Rotherith church stairs, and Ro- J therith stairs — J From Billingsgate and St. Olave's, to St. Saviour's ) <span class="gstxt_sub" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; position: relative; top: 0.3em;">Q ...^<span class="gstxt_sub" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; position: relative; top: 0.3em;">Q <span class="gstxt_sub" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; position: relative; top: 0.3em;">"