A visit to Crossness Pumping Station
I have longed for visiting this beautiful Victorian pumping station in Abbey Wood, east London, and it finally came true this summer.
Besides the major attraction of the beam engine house, the £20-ticket also includes the vintage Routemaster shuttle services between Abbey Wood station and the pumping station, as well as narrow-gauge railway between the gate to the main building.
I booked an entry in the morning, and took the first shuttle of the day which left Abbey Wood station at 9:45am, arriving at the pumping station at 10-ish.
The pumping station was completed in 1865, which was 11 years after the opening of Crystal Palace Park. Both are remarkable architectures or innovative facilities because the former addressed the major public health issue of cholera along River Thames through engineering work of discharging nasty sewage, with Victorian decoration inside the building; the latter was due to the mass production of thinner and cheaper glass resulting in all-glass palace.
Besides the station, there used to be a railway from Plumstead sidings to Crossness Point but disappeared around 1940s. The railway we can enjoy now is the miniature version which was restored in 2018.
The main building consists of a cafe area, the short movie room with a 16-minute clip about how the pumping station was created, the exhibition area with information about the public health issue in the old days as well as the development of the pumping station and toilet commodes, space for workshops and, most importantly, the beam engine house.
Visitors are required to get another ticket for the beam engine house, partly due to crowd control. A helmet is provided for each visitor for safety reasons. There is no limit of visiting period so I spent some time on sketching.
As the sewage system was developed by Joseph Bazalgette, it was called Bazalgette’s system and it proved effective when cholera still occurred in some areas not being covered by the system. However it ceased operations due to the new treatment works. The remarkable architecture of the beam engine house is now Grade I listed, followed by the restoration of the decor and machines as well as public opening till now.
The visit took me around three hours including the sketches and short period of time for refreshments, while most people, I believe, will find it more than enough under two hours or less. Better arrive here before 2pm.
The pumping station is open on Sunday only once every month. Make sure you check their website for the upcoming schedule and book beforehand.
