Victoria Embankment is part of theThames Embankment (the other section is theChelsea Embankment), a road and river-walk along the north bank of theRiver Thames in London, England. Built in the 1860s, it runs from thePalace of Westminster toBlackfriars Bridge in theCity of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare for road traffic between theCity of Westminster and the City of London.
It is noted for several memorials, such as theBattle of Britain Monument, permanently berthed retired vessels, such asHMSPresident, and public gardens, includingVictoria Embankment Gardens.
The Victoria Embankment was preceded by many earlier works along the tidal Thames, including central London.
The Victoria Embankment was designed by civil engineerFrancis Webb Sheilds, who submitted designs to a Royal Commission[1] appointed in 1861. Following acceptance of the designs, construction was carried out by the Metropolitan Board of Works on the lines of his scheme.[2][3] Construction, which started in 1865, was completed in 1870 under the direction ofJoseph Bazalgette.
The Victoria Embankment was one element of a three-part work, the other two parts being theAlbert Embankment, from the Lambeth end of Westminster Bridge to Vauxhall; and theChelsea Embankment, extending from Millbank to theCadogan Pier at Chelsea, close byBattersea Bridge.[4] It was a project of theMetropolitan Board of Works. The contractor for the work wasThomas Brassey.[5] The original impetus was the need to provide London with a modernsewerage system. Another major consideration was the relief of congestion on theStrand andFleet Street.
The project involved building out on to the foreshore of theRiver Thames, narrowing the river. The construction work required the purchase and demolition of much expensive riverside property. Thecut-and-cover tunnel for theDistrict Railway was built within the Embankment and roofed over to take the roadway. The embankment was faced with granite, andpenstocks, designed to open atebb tide to release diluted sewage when rainstorms flooded the system, were built into it as a means of preventing backups in the drainage system and of periodically flushing the mud banks.[6]
At ground level, in addition to the new roads, twopublic gardens were laid out. One of these backs onto the government buildings ofWhitehall, and the other stretches fromHungerford Bridge toWaterloo Bridge. The gardens contain many statues, including a monument to Bazalgette. The section of the gardens between Waterloo Bridge andCharing Cross station also includes a largebandstand, where musical performances are given, and the 1626 watergate of the formerYork House built for the firstDuke of Buckingham.
The Victoria section was the most complex of the three sections. It was much larger, more complex and more significant to the metropolis than the other two and officially opened on 13 July 1870 by thePrince of Wales andPrincess Louise.[7] When people refer to "the Embankment" they are usually referring to that portion of it. The total cost of the construction of the Victoria Embankment is estimated to be £1,260,000 and the purchase of property at £450,000. The total cost includes the cost of materials used in the construction of the embankment.[6]
Construction of the Victoria Embankment proved to be difficult because of the grandness of it. Parliament was assured that three years would be ample time to complete the project, which did not hold true.
In addition to not having a large enough labour force to complete the work on schedule, the project's architect and property appraiser were challenged in successfully securing rights to all the wharves and other property that were required for access and storage during the project's construction. They also ran into difficulty in acquiring contracts to maintain access to the steamboat landings at Westminster and Hungerford.
In addition, extra time and money were spent experimenting with a new type ofcofferdam, a structure used to keep water out of the construction site, which was crucial for building along the tidal Thames.[6]
In December 1878 Victoria Embankment became the first street in Britain to be permanently lit by electricity.[8] The light was provided by 20Yablochkov candles powered by aGramme DC generator. 16 March 1879 the system was extended to 40 lamps and 10 October to 55 lamps.[9] Previously the street had been lit by gas, and in June 1884, gas lighting was re-established as electricity was not competitive.[9]
The Victoria Embankment (part of theA3211 road) starts atWestminster Bridge, just north of thePalace of Westminster, then follows the course of the north bank, pastHungerford Bridge andWaterloo Bridge, before ending atBlackfriars Bridge inthe City.Shell Mex House, theSavoy Hotel andSavoy Place are located between the Embankment and theStrand.
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London Underground stations along Victoria Embankment areEmbankment andTemple.London Buses route N550 is the only bus route along the Embankment, providing an overnight service when the tube is shut. Victoria Embankment was also the southern end of theKingsway Tramway Subway. It was also used by trams as a loop right up until the end of the original tramway system in London in 1952.[10]
London River Services boat services operate fromWestminster Millennium Pier,Embankment Pier andBlackfriars Millennium Pier at points along Victoria Embankment. Pleasure cruises operate fromSavoy Pier.
London's east–westCycleway 3, a kerb-protectedcycle track across London, runs along most of the Victoria Embankment: it opened in 2016.
The embankments were designed as a contribution to "the appropriate, and appropriately civilized, cityscape for a prosperous commercial society." John Thwaites, the chair of theMetropolitan Board of Works, made note that the embankments were an important step in making London recognised as an exemplary imperial city, and that the embankments were the greatest public work to be taken in London. This imperial power was represented in the embankments' grandeur and could be seen in the way they controlled nature, linking the local experience of nature in London to the global rivalries of imperial powers. On the river side, new steamboat piers and landing stairs were designed for river access. Above ground were tree lined roadway and pedestrian walkways, surfaced with York paving stone and decorative gaslight posts for the top of the wall.[6]
Ships permanently moored by Victoria Embankment includeHMSPresident,HQSWellington, andPSTattershall Castle.
Other notable attractions include theGeneral Charles Gordon Memorial,Royal Air Force Memorial,National Submarine War Memorial,Battle of Britain Monument,Cleopatra's Needle and the modernisticCleopatra's Kiosk.
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Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1938). "London's Riverside Highways".Wonders of World Engineering. London: Amalgamated Press. pp. 677–682. Describes the construction of the Victoria and Albert Embankments
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