Crossness

I suppose I ought to be upfront about this post - it is going to be quite a lot about Victorian sewers and their contents, and the management of that content.

Even more frighteningly, it also contains pictures of restored steam engines, and those enthusiasts responsible for them. This can be quite scary. You may require safety equipment.

Anyway, grumpily we set out, heading for Crossness. (Joke)

The Crossness pumping station was part of the new system of London sewers built by Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s. It contained four huge beam engines that pumped up the effluent from the sewers before they were discharged into the Thames. The beam engine house remains, and the four great machines all survive. (The equivalent building at Abbey Mills on the North of the Thames survives but contains no equivalent engineering contents - a further pumping station at Deptford no longer remains at all).

Crossness is a Grade I listed building. A lot of conservation work has already taken place, and more is planned. This brings together enthusiasts about industrial archaeology, engineers and of course steam engine enthusiasts (I did warn you).
And fans of other old engines.


Much of the interior of the beam engine house still needs a lot of conservation.

This is a photograph looking upwards at an old, rusty beam of one of the four engines.

This is one of the rusted compression chambers of the same engine.

Although much of the interior is unrestored, a significant proportion has been, and quite beautifully. This shows the gleam of colour the restored section gives off, as visible from the unrestored area.
There are lots of attempts, some more meaningful than others, to sho how all of the ironmongery works:
This side room, still with much work to do, gives some sense of the vastness of the whole space:

The London sewer was a huge, prestige project. This plaque records a visit (the opening?) by the Royal Consort.
And now on to the restored section. The lantern, polychromatic, bright and light, was built to allow natural light into the engine room floor. The paintwork is beautiful.

Similar decorative ironwork is wrapped around each of the engines:




The four engines were named after members of the Royal Family, such was the high profile and seriousness of the project. The great sewers were commissioned following the Great Stink and the cholera epidemics in London, and were a huge engineering undertaking.

Victoria is awaiting restoration work.
While the Prince Consort seems as good as new.


Although the engine moves, the great coaling staithes and boilers no longer exist; so the beam engine is powered by an oil-fired engine next door. Apparently it barely has the power to move the great weight of the beam and wheel. For this reason, the lifting pistons below the beam - which raised the effluent through a sequence of valves - are currently disconnected.

When originally built and opened, the project seems to have brough together an eclectic mix of Victorian engineers and artisans, and the Great and Good. Something of the flavour seems to be captured below.The details on the pillars are wonderful, pointles excresences.

You can also descend to the lower level. This shows the disconnected pistons below the engine.

Part of the restored engine is also operational at this level.


The restored areas show a serious attention to detail. This restored grill is based on written records of the time, apparently.
There is a higher level access as well - it is about two standard house floors high - and there is a terriffic view out across the Thames to the North.
As you can see, the upper level seems light and airy - however, the floor is grillwork and I have no head for heights - so I stayed below. The feared grill:

This really captures the size of one of the main beams - in this case the restored one:

From the upper to the lower level again. A spiral staircase leads down from the centre of the lantern area to further subterrannean workings. The view up from the bottom is quite special.


As a reminder, there is still considerable restoration and conservation work to do.
For the record, this is how it all worked...

Outside the main beam engine house, there is a small exhibition space, containing some smaller, more modern engines.

This one seems to involve teapots.
This wall suggests the range of trade names there were for toiletware in the 19th Century.
While this wall suggests some of the other alternative terms that have been used.

One final note. The old Crossness pumping station is situated inside a much larger Thames Water complex. Its awkward to drive there - you have to find exactly the right road - and it is not regularly open. If you are interested in visiting, you'll have to check the Web site to find out when it is open next.