1-157-990 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Frost Fair on the Thames at London, 1683. Winters in Britain were often particularly cold in the 17th and 18th centuries, a period known as the 'Little Ice Age'. These impromptu fairs, offering a wide variety of amusements occurred in winters severe enough for the waters of the Thames to freeze over. The first was held in 1607, and the last in 1814, since when higher temperatures have meant that the Thames has never frozen over.