The Cathedral of Sewage

In 1858, the population of London suffered through the ‘Great Stink’, as vast quantities of raw sewage flowed into the River Thames. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli pushed through legislation for Joseph Bazalgette to construct a new system of sewers to bring the sewage to near the village of Beckton, where it could be released into the Thames to the east of the city.

The Abbey Mills pumping station was constructed to raise the level of sewage from low-level sewers (crossing the north of London) to the northern outfall sewer, over 13 metres above them. The original pumps were powered by steam-driven beam engines, and later replaced in 1933 by electrically-driven pumps – capable of moving 224,000 gallons of sewage per minute. The Abbey Mills station was relegated to “standby” status in 1997, and only used now during particularly heavy rainfall.

The Cathedral of Sewage

In 1858, the population of London suffered through the “Great Stink”, as vast quantities of raw sewage flowed into the River Thames. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli pushed through legislation for Joseph Bazalgette to construct a new system of sewers to bring the sewage to near the village of Beckton, where it could be released into the Thames to the east of the city.

The Abbey Mills pumping station was constructed to raise the level of sewage from low-level sewers (crossing the north of London) to the northern outfall sewer, over 13 metres above them. The original pumps were powered by steam-driven beam engines, and later replaced in 1933 by electrically-driven pumps,  capable of moving 224,000 gallons of sewage per minute. The Abbey Mills station was relegated to “standby” status in 1997, and only used now during particularly heavy rainfall.

For such an industrial (and frankly, pongy) building, the architecture of the engine house is rather stunning, incorporating a range of influences. The building has a layout based on a Greek cross, and with its octagonal central tower, from the outside it could almost be mistaken for an orthodox church. Also outside are two venting chimneys, inspired by Byzantine minarets. Inside, the ironwork is incredibly lavish, and brightly painted. Altogether, it is easy to see why Abbey Mills pumping station has earned the nickname “The Cathedral of Sewage”.

Komplexe Systeme benötigen Menschen, die einfach denken können

“In Copenhagen the annual average water loss is 8.05 %, despite the fact that 20 % of the pipes are over 100 years old, and 69 % are over 60 years old. The result is achieved using comprehensive knowledge of the mains, so the pipes that are replaced are the ones that need to be replaced and not solely because they are the oldest.“

(Source: Allan Broløs and Charlotte Hansen, HOFOR A/S)

Geseg…