Royal Arsenal History
  • Home
  • Overview
  • RAH Blog
  • Video Presentations - Secret City
  • Royal Arsenal Football
  • Royal Arsenal Blog / Forum
  • Royal Arsenal Timeline
  • Royal Arsenal Railway
  • Royal Arsenal Departments
  • Building numbers, Photos & Maps
  • Royal Arsenal Buildings & Photos
  • Royal Arsenal Rules
  • Royal Arsenal West - Woolwich
  • Royal Arsenal East - Thamesmead
    • Ghost Storys from Thamesmead
  • Thamesmead SE28 - A New Town (Video Archive)
  • WOOLWICH (VIDEO ARCHIVE)
  • Berber (Thamesmead)
  • Magazines (Tumps)
  • Royal Arsenal Firepower - Guns
  • Royal Arsenal Explosions
  • Royal Arsenal Site Development
  • Royal Arsenal Archaeology
  • Royal Arsenal Piers
  • Canal, Lock, Dock & Swing Bridge
  • Woolwich Arsenal Prison Hulks
  • Royal Arsenal Wasteland (East)
  • Royal Arsenal Bombs and Dropped
  • Royal Arsenal Bullets
  • Royal Arsenal Women Workers
  • Filling Factories
  • Royal Ordnance Factories (ROFs)
  • Royal Arsenal Employee's
  • Housing the Workers
  • Police and Fire Brigade
  • Royal Arsenal Telephone Exchange
  • Royal Arsenal Transport
  • Royal Arsenal Paymaster
  • Royal Arsenal Medical - Surgery
  • Life in the Royal Arsenal
  • Royal Arsenal Then and now
  • Project Hurricane (Atomic)
  • Royal Arsenal Stories
  • R.O.F.S.A Sports
  • Royal Arsenal and the Final Years
  • Crossness (East)
  • Royal Arsenal Maps
    • 1700's Maps
    • 1800's Maps
    • 1900's Maps
    • Todays Maps
    • Map overlays
    • Maps unpublsihed
  • Royal Arsenal Photos by year
  • The Royal Arsenal Marshes
  • Regiment of Artillery
  • Royal Dockyards
  • Prison Hulks
  • Architecture
  • Artifacts
  • Reprographics Department
  • School Projects
  • Family Royal Arsenal research
  • Did you know?
    • Martello Towers
  • After Royal Arsenal closure
  • Thamesmead Street History
  • Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS)
  • The Berkeley Group PLC - Royal Arsenal
  • RA Researchers required
  • RAWHS Membership
  • About
  • Contact
  • Upload data
  • Tours

Crossness

A cathedral on marsh land!
The Crossness Pumping Station was built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette as part of Victorian London's urgently needed main sewerage system. It was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in April 1865.

The Beam Engine House is a Grade 1 Listed Industrial Building constructed in the Romanesque style and features some of the most spectacular ornamental Victorian cast ironwork to be found today. It also contains the four original pumping engines (although the cylinders were upgraded in 1901), which are possibly the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52 ton flywheels and 47 ton beams. Although modern diesel engines were subsequently introduced, the old beam engines remained in service until work on a new sewerage treatment plant commenced in 1956. Following abandonment in the mid 1950's, the engine house and engines were systematically vandalised and left to decay, which greatly impeded the Trust's restoration programme.

The Crossness Engines Trust, a registered charity, was set up in 1987 to restore the installation which represents a unique part of Britain's industrial heritage and an outstanding example of Victorian engineering. A large part of the restoration work so far carried out has been done entirely by an unpaid volunteer workforce.

Please see The Crossness Engines Trust facebook page and website for more information.
Crossness Pier
Gun powder wagons used with the Magazine (Tump) railway network
Picture
Picture
Picture
To all readers: We value accuracy and strive to provide reliable information. If you come across any inaccuracies or broken links on our website, please do not hesitate to bring them to our attention. We would be grateful for any suggestions or corrections you may have. Please contact us with your feedback and we will make every effort to review and update the information accordingly. Contact us here with your suggestions

All content and overlays on the website www.royal-arsenal-history.com are protected by copyright and belong to their respective owners, unless otherwise stated. The information has been carefully compiled from various sources. Any unauthorized use of this material without prior consent is strictly prohibited. To request permission to use any of the content on the website, please contact the website administrator.   
                                                                                                               © www.royal-arsenal-history.com 2023