please empty your brain below |
I’m amazed that you hadn’t covered Crossness in this blog, before, dg! Truly one of the most magnificent sites in London.
dg writes: "I last came to look round in 2005." Top tip for a nice day out: Crossness is on the Thames Path and a lovely cycle from Woolwich. |
Crossness is one of those places I keep meaning to visit but never do.
On a sewer-related note, the Brighton Sewer Tours have now permanently closed. A curt note on the page states: "We're sorry but we no longer offer tours of Brighton's Victorian sewers" That's a pity as they always seemed to be fully booked. Luckilly I went on a visit last year. |
Trump on Monday, moving effluent on Tuesday.
Is there a common theme emerging this week? |
Oh, but you *can* go down an actual sewer if you know the right people. Bazalgette's wonderful sewers are ideal as a set of handy ducts for optical fibre telecoms cable, stretching right across London including the City and West End where digging is expensive.
A few years ago a company called Geo Networks -- now owned by US company Zayo -- acquired the rights from Thames Water and they invited me, as a telecoms journalist, to have a look. I cycled along the canal to north-east London -- a northern equivalent of Crossness -- and spent a happy hour or so wading in it all, along with a number of customers. Another company, owned by the energy company SSE, also has fibre down there. |
Somewhere I've always wanted to visit, but your blog is the next best thing.
"The Crossness Engines" would be a good title for Dr Who episode about machines that makes people angry. |
There's the old joke, told to us on a visit, that whilst Sir Joseph did his best to rid London of effluent, his great-great grandson, Peter strived to do the opposite by being the Creative Director of television's Big Brother series!
dg writes: First made, on this blog at least, in 2003:) |
Glad you enjoyed it DG. My first post-uni job was at Crossness, my office overlooked the pump house. It’s an extraordinary building, as is the environmental change it facilitated. It was a God awful job though.
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Another unoriginal observation on my part: how the Victorians combined functional engineering with the ornate. Meades explores this in depth in 'Victoria Died in 1901', for those so inclined.
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Thanks dg. I was working near Borehamwood when the new BBHouse arrived, but didn't realise where the old one was...
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Sorry to be a pedant (especially a steam pedant) but Crossness has the largest <rotative> beam engines in the world.
The largest beam engine full stop is at Cruquius in the Netherlands (I think). The guys at Kew Bridge might also get a bit upset as their beam engines are bigger, although they are Cornish cycle of course! I'll get my coat. |
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