It’s good news for Londoners who love to get out and about and explore the city’s public spaces, because a brand new one has just opened. What was once a construction site for London’s super sewer has been transformed into the Bazalgette Embankment by Blackfriars. And despite the connection to the super sewer, we promise there’s nothing dirty or stinky about this new area.
In fact, the new public space is a breath of fresh air. Having been closed off as a construction site for nine years, the Bazalgette Embankment now provides a space for Londoners to sit, gather, look at art, and enjoy a peaceful moment by the river. And all the while, thanks to the construction that took place, it’s doing its part to reduce pollution in London as part of the Tideway Tunnel system.
The Tideway Tunnel system
Otherwise known as London’s ‘super sewer’, the Tideway Tunnel system started operation last year after a decade of construction. It’s an update to London’s (quite old) sewage system that helps to significantly reduce the sewage pollution in the Thames. It has since diverted over 13,868,556 tonnes of sewage from the River Thames. That’s not bad at all, eh!
The Bazalgette Embankment itself is one of a number of new public spaces that the Tideway Tunnel team has opened “to connect the capital’s residents and visitors with the river more closely than is currently possible.” As the tunnel works to divert sewage away from the Thames, Londoners can get up close and personal with the city’s infamous waterway. In fact, some of the new public spaces “will be ‘floodable’ at high tides, giving Londoners the first opportunity of its kind to dip their toe in what will be a cleaner River Thames.”
Bazalgette Embankment
Encompassing a 1.5-acre site next to Blackfriars Bridge, the Bazalgette Embankment is a verdant riverside spot that’s sure to become a hidden gem for Londoners to unwind. Named after Joseph Bazalgette, the mastermind behind London’s sewer system, it’s now full of trees, benches and spots to gather, and public artwork. It also provides a brand new view of the river and the city, from a new riverside perspective.
The new space stretches 110 metres along the Thames, and is apparently “the largest single structure built into the River Thames in some 150 years.” Scattered around the area, you’ll find an assortment of sculptures from Nathan Coley. Entitled ‘Stages’, the work features soaring forms that stretch high above viewers, as well as a ‘water wall’ that brings the Thames water right up close.
In a post to Instagram, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:
“Thanks to the Thames Tideway Tunnel, London just gained a brand-new riverside spot.
The Bazalgette Embankment by Blackfriars is now open, turning years of work on vital sewer infrastructure into a place to walk, pause and take in the Thames.
For the first time in many years, Londoners and visitors can now walk along the north bank of the Thames from Westminster to the Tower of London within metres of the river.”
Image: @mayorofldn, via IG
Find out more about the Bazalgette Embankment here.
📍 Find the Bazalgette Embankment to the west of Blackfriars station, on the north bank of the Thames.