Exploring London's Working River on the Thames Path
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006282 THAMES PATH GUIDE 22/3/05 9:55 am Page 1 FIREPOWER! The Royal Artillery Museum Welcome to The Thames Path: Section 2 Section 3 Royal Arsenal,Woolwich SE18 6ST FROM SAIL MOTORCARS Thames Barrier to Crayford Ness Barking Flood Barrier TO STEAM & MARSHES Tel:020 8855 7755 www.firepower.org.uk Cross Ness Light Royal Arsenal to Crossness Beam Engines Your Guide to London’s Working River Crossness Beam to Erith Riverside Engines Gardens The explosive story of munitions, roud history - icons of industry - modern architecture - from early cannon to modern Pancient wildlife habitats and ever-changing river views: this Exploring London’s Working River missiles. Favourite exhibits E DR section of the Thames Path weaves all these strands together HM OURN IV E S REDB E FAIR include big screens in The 3 V E R T H A M Y W I A A as it follows the south bank of the river for 9 /4 miles from R DRI Y W V CB Crossway E Field of Fire, dedicated to the Thames Barrier near Woolwich downstream to N Lake O IVE T 20th-century conflict, and TP DR C R Crayford Ness, in the shadow of Dartford’s Queen EN R E AV SS OS NH CRO WAY S M to Erith and the “hands-on” Real EE Way Cycle & Footpath W Elizabeth II Bridge. on Tripcock GR AY M The Thames Path TN Manorway Harrow U Crayford Ness S The character of East London’s working river has been Ness Thamesmead Weapon Gallery which Pumping Riverside built up by centuries of “hard graft”. Henry VIII began it, when Golf Club shows how ammunition Station Green Cha Y in Capital Ring to Beckton Park, THAMESMERE WA W reaches its target – and what he established his royal dockyard at Woolwich to build our first D L Lea Valley & Highgate Wood R RA a Ridgeway Walk . T C l EN k naval warships, like the massive Henri, Grâce à Dieu. The C A AY it does when it gets there. R SW ( L S S Y O e L R famous Royal Arsenal grew up on the site, manufacturing the Twin Tumps Thamesmead E C c t Wheelchair access. Admission charge. i Town Centre R o guns and ammunition that fuelled Britain’s military might while ROYAL ALBERT DOCK O n A 1 D across the river, giant docks were constructed to handle exotic to Stratford ALBERT ) Crossway BASIN Park Y cargoes from all around the world. The Victorians’ passion for A B Greenwich Heritage Centre W D E A pleasure steamers put Erith on a the map as a river resort and H N RO C T E H R Royal Arsenal,Woolwich SE18 4DX A A DE in the 1930s Henry Ford gave business a boost when he set up London KING GEORGE V DOCK E M VE R EL Y B Tel:020 8854 2452 C A L R his factory on Dagenham’s 500 acre site. O City Airport OA A D N W N R T A R The Thames Path presents old stories alongside new U O www.greenwich.gov.uk ICH RD. G N Green Chain Walk W N OL H E ORTH WO T S THAMESMEAD N C to Lesnes Abbey, Lesnes Abbey Woods changes, demonstrating that the dynamics of ROA A N D H Bostall Woods & Oxleas Wood Silvertown M IO A A new way of exploring the ICH ) L R this hard-working river are still W 5 L R Old Station L 1 O O M A W history of this fascinating ALBE O lk Gallions Birchmere RT ROA Museum W a G E on the move. Firepower! and the Tate & Lyle’s D R Royal W . Park D M ( R B Birchmere A ng Point D ROAD O borough, the Royal Arsenal i T A Sugar Refinery BT Satellite Victoria R PRINCESS OIN U R al ALICE PWY. R L N Greenwich Heritage Centre blow pit BL E Y EL a O Gardens C R W – and Arsenal football club, Station North Woolwich A Y SE R A W the lid off the Royal Arsenal’s W Gallions E W WOOLWICH OAD Section 1 Section 2 ASTERN A established for the workers RE ERR Lake Y most closely-guarded secrets ACH PI GALLEONS FROM SAIL Y Section 1 & GUNS TO STEAM WA here. Attractions include the while Thamesmead’s riverside Thames Barrier Royal Arsenal to GALLEONS E D N Inside the Arsenal exhibition to Royal Arsenal Crossness Beam V A R I E apartments continue to widen & GUNS Woolwich R O D T Thames Engines R Thames Barrier Woolwich Ferry S S and the family history Search Foot Tunnel U Broadwater E their foothold on its adjoining Flood EB PI T to Royal Arsenal A W ER E Royal R H Room, plus art & craft workshops, Barrier Proposed Route C land. At Crossness, the last word in RA W IN Old Arsenal A Thames Path to RY Y H children’s clubs, talks and tours. ER . TB W F Victorian sewage disposal sits side-by- Greenwich, Graving P Gardens P WT W A Wheelchair access. Admission is free. Hampton Court W WD WF side with a sleek incinerator in futuristic Docks E R A R and the Source N E O R HARLINGER T style; just west of Erith, an industrial landscape of jetties, of the Thames A S ST. Firepower! A D P W Visitor Greenwich D I H D IC A T LW RD. OO A Centre E W ST. Heritage W O cranes and mills gives way to a domestic waterfront, set E B E H O A ET R STRE HIG E LLINGTO N R N . A TO R N E S R Centre M U T T A N W A R E B T C CH E C UR S S A H C against the slender arch of Dartford’s bridge. Contrast comes H V S E P H E F NU E R Tourist Information Centre T H O Royal Arsenal O S C Waterfront M I PO R E T W R W D S full circle at Crayford’s salt marshes, which mark the end of M O WOO L IS Leisure S S C O T T. & O RE E For further information about Sections 1 & 2 and R E N O J T Centre ROAD T Crossness Beam Engines D the Thames Path. The simple, sturdy structure of the barrier H O D R S TEA H A S O M T PLU Ridgeway Walk accommodation availability, please contact: P S N O R D F T E T A E R E R at Darent Creek is a very low-key affair compared with the R O Woolwich E E R Woolwich A R E T Interim Route T Thames Water Crossness Works, E N Charter Market S W Greenwich Tourist Information Centre T W E Woolwich Arsenal to Erith hi-tech triumph of the Thames Barrier, which gets the walk C C Dockyard N N a E I O L p S L T H Belvedere Road, Abbey Wood SE2 A S G Plumstead i N C N O I I Tel: 0870 608 2000, Fax: 020 8853 4607 off to an imposing start. Please note: some parts of the route G ta S L E T L H r l R N E W Tel: 020 8311 3711 www.crossness.org.uk IC e L E W O may be subject to flooding at high tide. To check tide times, call LW e R E O n i T O Email: [email protected] or www.greenwichwhs.org.uk O n S W g W WOOLWICH T Billed as a triumph of Victorian innovation, a the Port of London Authority on 020 7743 7900 or visit C E R ( h ( C E S a W PL A E e in LLERY T masterpiece of engineering and a cathedral c a RTI www.tidetimes.co.uk t W A i l Distances between location signposts on Charlton o k EACH n a ILLR 1 of ironwork, the Crossness Pumping Station 5 lk H to London Bridge, ) ) Sections 1 & 2 Charing Cross and TH 2 From Sail to Steam in the corner of Thames Water’s sewage plant Cannon Street HEA LE is an industrial icon that must be seen to be 1 1 TT TB Thames Barrier to Woolwich Dockyard /2 mile (+ /2 mile on Maryon LI Wilson believed. Four magnificent steam-driven beam interim route) 1 Galleons & Guns Park Royal Arsenal to Crossness Beam Engines Station engines, housed here amongst an extravaganza 1 4 WD Woolwich Dockyard to Woolwich Free Ferry Green Chain Walk and Distance 3 / miles. Time: 1 hour 40 minutes. of spectacular ornamental ironwork, were used to Capital Ring to Charlton House, WF 1 Thames Barrier to the Royal Arsenal pump London’s sewage into a neighbouring reservoir – Woolwich Foot Tunnel /2 mile 1 1 Woolwich Common, Oxleas Wood 4 2 Distance 1/ miles (plus / mile diversion on and Crystal Palace 1 egin with a bang at Firepower! and the Greenwich and from there it was discharged into the Thames on ebb WT Woolwich Foot Tunnel to Royal Arsenal /4 mile interim route inland).Time: 50 minutes. tides. Opened in 1865, the Pumping Station was a key element in Joseph Bazalgette’s vast new Heritage Centre. With the river on your left, pick up the 1 B RA Royal Arsenal to Broadwater Lock /2 mile sewage system for Victorian London, which is still in operation today.