Visit the Crossness Pumping Station

Crossness Pumping Station was a sewage pumping station opened in 1865 as part of the redevelopment of the London sewers. It is located beside the Thames at Crossness, in South East London.


The Station was designed by engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette and architect Charles Henry Driver following Parliament's decision to charge the Metropolitan Board of Works to improve sewerage 1858, after several cholera outbreaks killed up to 20,000 people annually.

What is so interesting about Crossness is the grand scale and detail of the design. Inside, the cast iron work is very ornate and the building's Romanesque style evokes something much grander than a sewage works. This is why, in 1985, a trust undertook to restore the Engine House and the engines to their 1899 condition.

Having done a great deal of work, the ambitious Crossness Engines Trust is now aiming to achieve Registered Museum status and ensure that Crossness remains a key part of the tourism and heritage landscape of South East London.

Tours are available by appointment only. For more information, visit the odd half page website at http://www.crossness.org.uk/.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of stevecadman^}