Fun in the frost: Outdoor ice skating in London

London’s lakes rarely freeze nowadays. But before the world’s first manmade ice rinks were invented in the capital, Londoners got their skating fix when the city’s lakes, ponds and marshes froze over during the winter.

The River Thames even used to completely freeze over, and Londoners built temporary frost fairs to enjoy entertainment on the ice.

This kind of outdoor skating came with its own obvious dangers – not just from other clumsy skaters. But it’s been enjoyed in London at least since the 12th century.

In 1173, London chronicler William FitzStephen (who was also Thomas Becket's clerk and biographer) described how Londoners went skating on the marshes of Moorfields, north of the City.

They’d balance on polished animal bone skates like these tied around their feet. To move across the ice, skaters used iron-tipped poles to propel them “as fast as a flying bird or a bolt from a catapult.” A bit like cross-country skiing.

The first frost fair on the Thames was held in 1565 – and Queen Elizabeth I attended. Stalls were set up on the ice and Londoners took part in activities such as skating, sliding, snowballing and even shooting.

Between 1620 and 1814, the river froze 23 times. The final frost fair in 1814 is depicted in the etching by George Cooke above. Planted on the ice are tents, rides and even a printing press, where visitors could record their memories of the fair. St Paul’s Cathedral can be seen in the distance.

This caricature of the 1814 frost fair by George Cruikshank paints a more chaotic picture. People are merrily drinking gin, slipping on the ice and playing skittles. One man even has his wooden leg stuck in the ice.

The Serpentine in Hyde Park was one of London’s popular skating lakes during the 1700s and 1800s. In the drawing below, artist Thomas Rowlandson depicts a variety of Londoners elegantly skating or falling and sprawling on the ice.

But this was a perilous pastime. In the 19th century, the Serpentine attracted up to 10,000 skaters each day. In an oil painting by J Barber, you can see stalls hiring out skates and selling food and drinks. You can also see ‘Icemen’, like this lifeguard wearing a Royal Humane Society overcoat, on standby to help skaters in trouble.

One tragedy happened on a lake in Regent’s Park on 15 January 1867. The ice suddenly shattered under the feet of hundreds of revellers and many were plunged into the icy water. Some 40 bodies were pulled from the lake in the following days.

Londoners still enjoyed icy activities throughout the 1900s. As these photographs by Henry Grant show, you didn’t even need a pair of skates to have fun. Many just slid and slipped in their shoes.