What did the River Thames provide to the people of London?

The River Thames flows through Central London but isn't of any real importance now. In the past it was used as a means of getting about because of the poor state of the roads. The London Docks were situated on the river and there was an enormous amount of shipping and warehousing along both banks of the river when London was a major port and Britain had its Empire. With the advent of containerisation and much larger ships, the River Thames was no longer wide enough or deep enough to facilitate large vessels.