Spent an interesting morning at Crossness pumping station, Abbey Wood.
In the early 19th century, London's water supply and the Thames were heavily polluted with sewage. This resulted in several cholera outbreaks during which up to 20,000 people died annually. In 1858 Parliament instructed the newly formed Metropolitan Board of Works to remedy this situation. Joseph Bazalgette was charged with finding a solution to these problems. He built 85 miles of new sewers which intercepted the many smaller sewers that ran into the Thames, and took the effluent to the East of London where it was discharged into the Thames and flowed out to sea.
The Crossness Pumping Station was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in April 1865. The Beam Engine House is a Grade 1 Listed and features some amazing Victorian cast ironwork. It also contains the four original pumping engines which are possibly the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52 ton flywheels and 47 ton beams. Although modern diesel engines were subsequently introduced, the old beam engines remained in service until work on a new sewerage treatment plant commenced in 1956.
