Editing River Thames (section)

===Conversion of marshland===
After the river took its present-day course, many of the banks of the [[Thames Estuary]] and the [[Thames Valley]] in London were partly covered in [[marshland]], as was the adjoining [[Lower Lea Valley]]. Streams and rivers like the [[River Lea]], [[Tyburn Brook]] and [[Bollo Brook]] drained into the river, while some islands, e.g. [[Thorney Island (London)|Thorney Island]], formed over the ages. The northern tip of the ancient parish of [[Lambeth (parish)|Lambeth]], for example, was marshland known as ''Lambeth Marshe'', but it was drained in the 18th century; the street names [[Lower Marsh]] and Upper Marsh preserve a memory.<ref name="ADMills">{{cite book |author=Anthony David Mills |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSIOAQAAMAAJ |title=Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-280106-7 |access-date=25 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913153723/https://books.google.com/books?id=DSIOAQAAMAAJ |archive-date=13 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{main|Malaria in the River Thames}}

Until the middle of the Victorian era, malaria was commonplace beside the River Thames, even in London, and was frequently lethal. Some cases continued to occur into the early 20th century. Draining of the marshes helped with its eradication, but the causes are complex and unclear.

The [[East End of London]], also known simply as the '''East End''', was the area of London east of the medieval walled [[City of London]] and north of the River Thames, although it is not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries; the [[River Lea]] can be considered another boundary.<ref>''The [[New Oxford Dictionary of English]]'' (1998) {{ISBN|0-19-861263-X}} p. 582 "'''East End''' the part of London east of the [[City of London|City]] as far as the River Lea, including the Docklands".</ref> Most of the local riverside was also marshland. The land was drained and became farmland; it was built on after the [[Industrial Revolution]].

[[Canvey Island]] in southern Essex (area {{cvt|18.45|km2|disp=comma}}; population 40,000<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Canvey Island |url=https://canveyisland-tc.gov.uk/visitor-information/history-of-canvey/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827085619/https://canveyisland-tc.gov.uk/visitor-information/history-of-canvey/ |archive-date=27 August 2020 |access-date=27 August 2020 |publisher=Canvey Island Town Council}}</ref>) was once marshy, but is now a fully reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, separated from the mainland of south [[Essex]] by a network of creeks. Lying below sea level, it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides, but has nevertheless been inhabited since Roman times.