Report - Crypt (Wimbledon Park Sewer and Southern High Level Sewer #1) – London – January 2019

[pastybarm]

It is ironic that the northern cities have more modern infrastructure and london as the capital still has the brickwork (which has stood the test of time I might add, the victorians were master builders!), and wooden barriers and so on. I would have imagined London to have some modern mega system like tokyo, but I did read about this super sewer, is that still under construction?

 

[anubis]

Grace's Guide has a lot of 'The Engineer'. I think you have to register though, not sure sorry. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/The_Engineer_(Bound_Volumes)

 

[Aaron4040]

Visited with Tallginge
Crypt is a rather grand junction chamber where the Wimbledon Park Sewer and the Southern High Level Sewer #1 converge in Wandsworth.

The reason for such an ornate chamber is that Crypt was originally the start of the west end of Joseph Bazalgette’s sewage aqueduct in Wandsworth which was constructed between 1882 and 1885. The beautiful brick arches were constructed to maintain the physical integrity of the aqueduct which is now sadly demolished.
The aqueduct was a rather impressive structure that curved gracefully across its substantial length while carrying the sewers across the lower lying land that encompasses King George’s Park to the west all the way to St. Anne’s Hill in the east.

These two pictures are as you can clearly see are from the Wandsworth Heritage Service. It was the only place I could find a picture showing a substantial view of the aqueduct.

There is surprisingly little in the way of historical information available online with regards to this structure which is a shame.
A page from ‘The Engineer’ dated March 1886 provides detailed plans of Bazalgette’s completed aqueduct.

This photo dated 1930 on the Sewer History Website shows the aqueduct from what is now Neville Gill Close. Below that is a contemporary view of the site from Google Street view. I was pleased to see that the bowling green is still there and in use!

The 1920 Annual Report of London County Council, Volume 3, Public Health, states that
“The Southern high-level sewer No. 1(Clapham to Putney extension) is carried over the Wandle
by means of the Wandsworth aqueduct, which consists of a series of brick piers and arches. For many years a lateral movement has been taking place, the greatest deviation from the perpendicular being 23½ inches. It is essential that support should be given to the structure and brick buttresses are being placed against certain of the piers, the estimated cost of the work being £2,000”

I have not been able to find a date for when the aqueduct was demolished so I'm unclear if this work was ever carried out or whether the structure was perhaps demolished instead to save the money being spent.


The first five photos I took show The Wimbledon Park Sewer where it joins Crypt and runs down the southern side of the chamber before falling into the middle section where the flow is now carried away to the Southern Low Level #1 Sewer. Note the blocked off arch at the end of the chamber where the aqueduct would have continued.
The middle channel would have been originally been an overflow and have dumped excess flow into the River Wandle at Dormay Street which is a present day sewage discharge point that is currently in the process of being connected to the Thames Tideway tunnel to clean up the river.

The next five photos show the Southern High Level Sewer #1 which runs down the northern side of the chamber and also empties into the middle section.

The final photo is taken from within the middle section at the eastern end of the chamber to show the ‘water’ flowing down from the two sewers above.

​

Yes another action packed day of drains, I don't think there has been one we haven't enjoyed!
Thanks for your help with the lighting, it always looks nicer when someone else fires some photons about.
It does seem very strange that the aqueduct was demolished which makes me think it was done to save on the 2 grand repair quote from 1920.
I can't believe for a moment that J Bizzle made a fuck up mistake, I won't hear a bad word about the chap!



I've heard about the tideflap on the lower section and rumour of the stairway that you refer to but wading through the bullshit can be hard work sometimes, especially with drains. One thing I've learnt over the years is to take anything I have read or been told with a generous pinch of salt.

According to my dad The Wandsworth aqueduct was demolished in sections between 1971 and 1973...

 

[TheVicar]

According to my dad The Wandsworth aqueduct was demolished in sections between 1971 and 1973...

Thanks for the info, that was just a few years before I was born. Always good to hear anecdotal accounts of history such as this.