Report - River Westbourne/Ranelagh Storm Relief Sewer - March 2012.

[Ojay]

River Westbourne/Ranelagh Storm Relief Sewer

Ojay/Leaf1471/MJS

The River Westbourne is one of the ‘big three’ lost watercourses North of the Thames, now buried and used as a sewer.

It shares a similar point of origin to its siblings, rising in Whitestone Pond on Hampstead Heath. From there, it flows down through Hampstead, Kilburn, Paddington, Hyde Park, on to Knightsbridge, and out into the Thames at Chelsea

It's been almost 12 months since we dropped into a lid somewhere North of Hyde Park and followed the Ranelagh storm relief through a small brick tunnel downstream until it reached the first relief chamber


In the picture below taken by MJS I'm stood in the Ranelagh main line sewer, with the Serpentine connection on the left and the storm relief to my right

We headed downstream following the sewer through the modest 8ft yellow & red brick pipe, careful not to slip into the fresh

Eventually we reached the main overflow chamber known as 'The Egg'

Here the main line sewer runs down a smaller channel above the top of the overflow before it eventually heads d/s dropping into Mid Level Sewer No.1

Beyond the weir boards and girders are a set of ladders down to the lower section of the CSO

Here 'The Egg', (which is the main overflow for the Ranelagh relief and also serves the KSP CSO)

Is located directly opposite and below the French Embassy in Knightsbridge, this junction is huge, and to be finally stood within it was amazing.. far bigger than I had imagined it!

The 2 slots above are the overflow weirs for the main line Ranelagh sewer that runs above as seen earlier

The smaller RBP, which quickly leads to a smaller egg shaped section which serves the KSP CSO

Opposite, the larger egg is the final outfall to the Thames

I only followed this for about 10 mins whilst Mgay & Leaf dicked about in the CSO before turning back..

(We did have much more to cram in)..

A quick lick of the fresh, Gangsta lean Stylee..

(Pict0r c/o Leaf)


..before making our way back up the main Ranelagh sewer and exited via the nearest manhole, as you do

Shouts to Alias & GE for the intel
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