Known as Liposuction (IIRC)
(but it didn't seem all that bad when I went. No worse than to be expected anyway
)
Here's another one from last summer. It's not the most interesting of London's Storm Reliefs, indeed the main pipe's concrete and there's a lot of walking between the interesting sections, which all look very similar anyway - bring choones
The pumping station at the end, though, is quite photogenic so I've described this stoopy stroll from the upstream end first. There's a few splits and branches along the way so some of these may be in a funny order.
We start near Southark Cathedral where there's several overflows from the numerous sewers. In this area they're mostly pretty old and only 4ft, which I'd normally consider to be a local sewer but given this is central south London and it used to be far less populated than it is now, Thames Water probably consider them as trunk sewers.
Yup, I reckon that's a decomposed rat.
This overflow pipe leads under another sewer and joins its overflow. The combined flows then emerges from the left side of this junction.
I then walked up the right side and surprise, surprise it lead to another long narrow chamber with a steep overflow pipe.
Turning around I walked back the way I'd come passing the fork junction to eventually emerge from the right side of another forked junction, where I could nearly stand up straight - oh the relief! Walking up the left side of the split I soon came to what appeared at first to be a dead end. It wasn't, it was a connecting pipe from another long narrow chamber, almost identical to the others.
Further down from the fork another overflow with another steep connecting pipe joins from the right (or the left when looking upstream)
Then another steep one from the left.......it's alright there's a change of scenery coming up!
Entering this manhole from the pipe on the right I came across this once bricked-up now broken-through, soiled-up pipe.
Having stuck my nose down here a while ago I was surprised to find the main pipe was now nearly empty as it had previously been half full of water at this point. The tide must've been in I thought. Silly sod......how does the tide get past a pumping station? We live and learn.......When I went back (at low tide to make sure) I realised the standing water was much lower and that I'd probably be able to walk all the way to the pumping station - not something I expected to ever be possible.......they must've been pumping recently
I came across this website which contains an extract on Shad Thames Pumping Station from a 1980 publication. I think it's brilliant, there's old photos of the building from inside and out and a good description of all the machinery, pumps, accumulator, etc. http://www.glias.org.uk/glias/shad-thames-pumping-station.html
I couldn't not have a go at climbing up the flexi-pipe going through the open flap. The water below is much deeper than it appears and would've made for a soft (if wet) landing had I fallen off. Negotiating my way around the submerged pit of deep water in order to get any further than the end of the pipe was tricky in itself and not without risk.
Upstairs
From the road outside after a fruitless search for lids to get me into the 'discharge culvert' which leads to the Thames......and will definitely be tidal. After all the storm water pumping stations I have visited around London these discharge culverts remain unexplored.....at least by me. One day.....maybe
Thanks fer loookin'
(but it didn't seem all that bad when I went. No worse than to be expected anyway
)Here's another one from last summer. It's not the most interesting of London's Storm Reliefs, indeed the main pipe's concrete and there's a lot of walking between the interesting sections, which all look very similar anyway - bring choones
The pumping station at the end, though, is quite photogenic so I've described this stoopy stroll from the upstream end first. There's a few splits and branches along the way so some of these may be in a funny order.We start near Southark Cathedral where there's several overflows from the numerous sewers. In this area they're mostly pretty old and only 4ft, which I'd normally consider to be a local sewer but given this is central south London and it used to be far less populated than it is now, Thames Water probably consider them as trunk sewers.
Yup, I reckon that's a decomposed rat.
This overflow pipe leads under another sewer and joins its overflow. The combined flows then emerges from the left side of this junction.
I then walked up the right side and surprise, surprise it lead to another long narrow chamber with a steep overflow pipe.
Turning around I walked back the way I'd come passing the fork junction to eventually emerge from the right side of another forked junction, where I could nearly stand up straight - oh the relief! Walking up the left side of the split I soon came to what appeared at first to be a dead end. It wasn't, it was a connecting pipe from another long narrow chamber, almost identical to the others.
Further down from the fork another overflow with another steep connecting pipe joins from the right (or the left when looking upstream)
Then another steep one from the left.......it's alright there's a change of scenery coming up!
Entering this manhole from the pipe on the right I came across this once bricked-up now broken-through, soiled-up pipe.
Having stuck my nose down here a while ago I was surprised to find the main pipe was now nearly empty as it had previously been half full of water at this point. The tide must've been in I thought. Silly sod......how does the tide get past a pumping station? We live and learn.......When I went back (at low tide to make sure) I realised the standing water was much lower and that I'd probably be able to walk all the way to the pumping station - not something I expected to ever be possible.......they must've been pumping recently
I came across this website which contains an extract on Shad Thames Pumping Station from a 1980 publication. I think it's brilliant, there's old photos of the building from inside and out and a good description of all the machinery, pumps, accumulator, etc. http://www.glias.org.uk/glias/shad-thames-pumping-station.html
I couldn't not have a go at climbing up the flexi-pipe going through the open flap. The water below is much deeper than it appears and would've made for a soft (if wet) landing had I fallen off. Negotiating my way around the submerged pit of deep water in order to get any further than the end of the pipe was tricky in itself and not without risk.
Upstairs
From the road outside after a fruitless search for lids to get me into the 'discharge culvert' which leads to the Thames......and will definitely be tidal. After all the storm water pumping stations I have visited around London these discharge culverts remain unexplored.....at least by me. One day.....maybe
Thanks fer loookin'
I felt like a bit of tour guide, waffling on a lot, knowing full well that most of it was going in one ear and out the other. I'll help anyone I can trust if that's whatcha mean 
