London’s New Bazalgette Embankment: A Thameside Oasis
The City of London has expanded by 1.5 acres with the opening of the Bazalgette Embankment, a new public space built atop a Thames Tideway Tunnel access shaft. This expansive walkway and plaza offer stunning Thames views and features Nathan Coley's intriguing “Stages” sculptures, serving as seating, performance areas, and even a small waterfall. The embankment also incorporates twisty ventilation shafts inscribed with Dorothea Smartt's poetry in the rescued Doves Press typeface. A notable aspect is the extension of the River Fleet‘s path, now channeled beneath the embankment into the super sewer. The area boasts green spaces with saplings and historical mooring rings, but also presents a safety concern: a problematic cycle path intersection causing pedestrian-cyclist collisions. Despite this, the embankment provides a continuous riverside walk from Westminster to the Tower of London, a first in London's history. The space, managed by Thames Water and the City of London, will include cafes and is a unique blend of heritage, modern engineering, public art, and beautiful river views.
