The last day of the Olympic Torch Relay on 27 July 2012 was by river from Hampton Court Palace to City Hall in the Pool of London. Gloriana carried the Olympic flame and seven young torchbearers who took it in turns over the course of the morning to carry a torch, lit from the cauldron on Gloriana’s bow. The rowing crew was made up of former British Olympic crews going back to the 1948, including gold medal winners James Cracknell and Jonny Searle. The Queen’s Rowbarge’s bell rang for three minutes from 08:12 BST as part of the national celebration for the London 2012 Festival, when bells rang out across the country to mark the opening of the London 2012 Games.
The Olympic flame arrives in the UK
The escort prepares at Hampton Court
The Olympian crew await
Sir Matthew Pinsent with the flame outside Hampton Court Palace
The ‘spare’ flames – miners lamps!
The waiting boats of the first escort
The cauldron is lit
Ready to leave
Turning in front of the Hampton Court crowds
The escort set off in pursuit!
The Surbiton crowds
Sarah Winkless with one of the Thames Alive Team
The Olympians pull hard
Thames skiffs in escort
Kingston Bridge
The crowds at Teddington
Teddington Lock
Coming down to Richmond
London Youth Rowing crews – Escort 2
The crowds at Putney
The Livery Company Watermen’s cutters – Escort 3
The Palace of WEstminster
Big Ben watches…
St. Pauls in the distance
HM Tower of London – the finish!
Arrival safely at the Olympic rings barge
The Olympian crew at the finish after a great paddle
Lord Sterling with Malcolm Knight of Thames Alive
Malcolm with the cauldron now in the River Rowing Museum
