Sir Joseph Bazalgette and Deptford Pumping Station

SIR JOSEPH BAZALGETTE 

AND

DEPTFORD PUMPING STATION

Photo R.J.M.Carr

28th March was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Joseph Bazalgette.  He was the Engineer to the 19th century Metropolitan Board of Works - and is most famous for building the London sewage system (and a lot of other things).

On 28th the this year there was a big party down at Crossness Engines - where the sewage from south London all ends up.  People there got a chance to see Busy Basil renamed as Bazalgette - and bits of the new railway, and lots more.

Because of the anniversary a wrote a piece for 'Greenwich Weekender about the works which Bazalgette actually built in Greenwich - Crossness is in Bexley, but only just!

My Weekender article was in their 3rd April edition - and it is on line digitally if you hadn't seen it in print.  https://www.weekender.co.uk/digital-edition/

The main building which Bazalgette built which is actually in Greenwich is the hidden-away Deptford  pumping station in Greenwich High Road/Norman Road.  This was actually the first building in place for the system - as Mick Delap has just discovered - and has sent me a whole lot of wonderful pictures to prove it. Sadly these have come too late for the Weekender article, so I am putting them below.

I would have thought that the Greenwich High Road pumping station is something we should all be proud of.  It is an amazing and very important listed building - along with a huge decorative iron coal store.  Some of it has recently been done up by the Thames Tideway people who are on part of the site.

I never see any mention of it by the Greenwich Society, or the Council, or anyone about how it is one of our major buildings.  So - come on - lets talk about it.   The Tideway people are going to have some open days soon. So lets all go down and admire what we have,

Here are Mick Delap's pictures - and congratulations to him for a lot of hard work,

and - finally - I know this is a bit of blowing my own trumpet and stuff - but I don't know who sees the articles I've done for Weekender.  So - hope you don't mind - here's a list - all on the digital website https://www.weekender.co.uk/digital-edition/

3rd April Bazalgette and Deptford Pumping station
27th March  White Hart Depot
13th March Smells on the Peninsula
6th March Our Poor Doomed Gasholder
1st March 2019 Early copperas industry in Deptford - Nicholas Crispe
6th February 2019 William Joyce shipbuilder
10th October 2018 A world of industrial remains
5th September 2018 The accident at Blackwall Point Power Station
8th August 2018 Women gas workers
16th July 2018 The Charlton, and other, pits
13th June 2018 Sir John Pender - review of book by Stewart Ash
16th May 2018 The Greenwich Harbour Master
18th April 2018 The History of the (gas) holder
21st March 2018 The Greenwich bicycle pioneers
21st February 2018 The Man who built the railway - George Landmann
24th January 2018 The man who built the railway
6th December 2017 The tragic death of Mary Mahoney - killed on her first day at the gunpowder factory.
1st November 2017 Rope- Picking up the strands of our rich history.
3rd October 17th century Woolwich kiln. Gone but not forgotten