Crossness Pumping Station Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Crossness Pumping Station
Western exterior of the Crossness Pumping Station
Location	Crossness Sewage Treatment Works London, SE2 United Kingdom
OS grid reference	TQ4849781080
Built	1859–1865
Architects	Charles Henry Driver and Joseph Bazalgette
Architectural style(s)	Romanesque
Owner	Thames Water

Listed Building – Grade I
Designated	24 June 1970
Reference no.	1064241

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The Crossness Pumping Station is an amazing old building in London. It was built to help clean up the city's sewage (wastewater). Imagine a giant machine that pumps away dirty water! That's what Crossness did.

It was designed by a famous engineer named Joseph Bazalgette and an architect named Charles Henry Driver. They built it between 1859 and 1865. This station was a huge part of fixing London's terrible sewer system problem. People even called it a "Victorian cathedral of ironwork" because of its beautiful metal designs.

Crossness is next to Erith Marshes, a marshy area. This area is now a nature reserve. It's home to many creatures, from moths to small amphibians and water voles.

Why Crossness Was Built: The Great Stink
Opening Day: A Royal Event
How the Pumping Station Worked
Bringing Crossness Back to Life
- A Museum for Everyone
Gallery
See also

Why Crossness Was Built: The Great Stink

Before Crossness, London had a big problem. The River Thames was full of raw sewage. It smelled terrible, especially in the summer of 1858. This event was so bad it was called the "Great Stink"!

The awful smell and diseases like cholera made people realize something had to change. That's when Sir Joseph Bazalgette stepped in. He designed a huge new sewer system for London. Crossness Pumping Station was a key part of this plan. It helped move the sewage far away from the city.

Opening Day: A Royal Event

The Crossness Pumping Station officially opened on April 4, 1865. It was a very important day! Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became king, was there. Many other important people also attended.

Joseph Bazalgette gave a speech. Then, the Prince of Wales turned a wheel. This started the giant engines! Everyone felt a vibration as the huge machines began to work. It was a big step for London's health.

How the Pumping Station Worked

Crossness used four massive steam-powered pumps. These engines were enormous! They were built by a company called James Watt & Co. and named "Victoria", "Prince Consort", "Albert Edward", and "Alexandra".

Inside the pumping station, showing the huge engines.

Each engine could pump about 6 tons of sewage with every stroke. That's like 1,500 gallons! The sewage was lifted about 30 to 40 feet high. Then, it went into a huge reservoir. From there, it was released into the Thames when the tide was going out. This carried the sewage further out to sea.

To power these engines, 12 large boilers burned about 5,000 tons of coal each year. Imagine how much coal that is!

Over time, people realized that just dumping raw sewage into the river wasn't enough. In 1891, new tanks were added. These tanks separated the solid waste from the liquid. The solid waste, called sludge, was then carried by special boats. These boats dumped the sludge even further out into the sea.

Later, more pumps were added to handle London's growing population. The original engines were also improved. In 1913, diesel engines replaced some of the steam engines. By 1956, the original steam engines were no longer used. They were left to rust and decay for many years.

Bringing Crossness Back to Life

In 1970, Crossness Pumping Station became a Grade I listed building. This means it's a very important historic site. In 1987, a group called the Crossness Engines Trust was formed. Their goal was to restore this amazing place.

When the station was shut down, it was too expensive to take the engines apart. So, they were left there. Many valuable metal parts were stolen or damaged. The building and engines suffered a lot of vandalism and rust.

The Prince Consort pumping engine, now restored.

The "Prince Consort" engine was the last one to stop working in 1953. So, the Trust focused on restoring it first. After about 15 years of hard work, the engine is now working again! You can see it run on special open days.

When the buildings were abandoned, the areas under the engines were filled with sand. This was to prevent dangerous gases. The Trust had to dig out about 100 tons of sand to reach the pumps. Rainwater also caused a lot of rust on the engine parts.

Amazing decorative ironwork inside the Octagon.

Crossness has four of the largest rotative beam engines in the world. Each has a 52-ton flywheel and 47-ton beams! While the engines are original, they were changed in 1901-1902 to be more efficient. "Prince Consort" was brought back to life in 2003. Work has also started on restoring the "Victoria" engine.

The original boilers are gone. "Prince Consort" now uses a smaller, modern boiler. It doesn't make as much steam as the old ones, but it's enough to show how the engine works.

A Museum for Everyone

The Crossness Engines Trust received over £2 million to help with the restoration. This money came from groups like the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage. They used it to build an access road, protect the buildings, and create a museum.

In 2015, on the 150th anniversary of Crossness's opening, they got another £1.5 million. This money helped create a museum exhibition. It tells the story of the "Great Stink" and how Crossness helped clean up London. It's a great place to learn about history and engineering!