The Lord who tried to walk across the Thames

From July 1 it will be an offence to swim in the Thames between Putney Bridge and the Thames Barrier. The new bylaw has been introduced because of an apparent increase in 'wild swimming'. Around 30 bodies are found in the river each year, though late night revellers in pubs on the higher reaches of the Thames, which are unaffected by the law, will doubtless continue.

How deep is the Thames? 
That was the question Rufus Lord Noel-Buxton wanted to answer when he attempted to walk across it at Westminster in 1952, to prove that the Romans had forded the river here. He calculated that the river would, at its ebb, be about 5ft 4in deep. Dressed in sweatshirt, jersey, old flannel trousers and gym shoes, the 6ft 3in, 34-year-old peer the peer strode into the water from the south bank, cheered by onlookers. The water rose around him until, after about 30 yards, he disappeared from sight, reappearing to further cheers as he swam towards the steps by Parliament.
"There was much more water than I expected," he said. "Of course, it has been raining."