A new embankment on the Thames in central London is now open to the public

In huge news for London’s dog owners, commuters and flâneurs, for the first time ever it is now possible to walk along the north bank of the Thames from Westminster to the Tower of London without straying more than a few metres from the river. It’s all thanks to a brand new embankment.

The box-fresh Bazalgette Embankment – named after the Victoria engineer who created the OG Embankment and sewer Sir Joseph Bazalgette – opened to the public on January 13 on a former ‘super sewer’ work site. The 1.5 acre site next to Blackfriars Bridge was was closed off for nine years during the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, which allowed the construction of the 25-kilometre crap overflow-collecting tunnel. 

The area has been given a brand spanking new lease of life, now home to a new public space. Bazalgette Embankment is the largest single structure built into the River Thames in around 150 years and boasts walkways, viewpoints, seating, public art, pocket parks and 71 trees. It’s one of seven new riverside embankments created by the super sewer project. 

The artwork along the embankment features five sculptures by Glasgow-based Nathan Coley and includes ‘Waterwall’, an 8.8-metre-high sculpture with a cascading water feature.

The area is fully accessible, with ramps and a four-metre-wide footpath. It can also be reached by boat, with new lifts installed to the east of Blackfriars Bridge. Underneath the site below ground, new culverts, pipes and vortexes intercept sewage flows and channel them into London’s super sewer. 

‘What began as a vital construction site for the super sewer has been transformed into a remarkable public space – a place to pause, explore and enjoy the river in a way that hasn't been possible for generations,’ said Roger Bailey, Tideway's chief technical officer. 

‘Bazalgette Embankment stands as a celebration of what thoughtful engineering and long-term investment can deliver for the capital and for everyone who calls it home.’

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