London’s
Victoria Embankment stretches along the north side of the River Thames from
Westminster Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge, a distance of about one and a quarter
miles. It is a broad street that carries two lanes of traffic in each
direction, with pavements on both sides. There are features of interest on both
the river and landward sides of the road, so care must be taken when crossing
from one to the other.
The Victoria
Embankment is a feat of Victorian engineering that was originally built with a
very utilitarian purpose, namely to form a conduit for London ’s largest sewer, which was being built
under the direction of Joseph Bazalgette. At the same time, accommodation was
made for the underground Metropolitan Railway (now the District and Circle
Lines) under the “cut and cover” method. There are four stations along the
route, Westminster and Blackfriars at the two
ends and Embankment and Temple
spaced evenly between them.
If starting
the walk from Westminster Bridge , you will have the Palace of Westminster ,
with the Big Ben clock tower, right behind you. Immediately on the right is
Westminster Millennium Pier, from which riverbus services operate to other
piers along the Thames , as do pleasure cruises
run by several commercial operators.
There is an excellent
view from here across the river to County Hall (which now houses a number of
attractions including the Sea Life London Aquarium) and the London Eye
observation wheel.
Also here is
the Battle of Britain monument, unveiled in 2005, that depicts in a series of
friezes the lives of airmen and others during the Royal Air Force’s defence of
the country in 1940. A few yards further along is the older (1923) RAF
Memorial, this being a stone plinth surmounted by a huge golden eagle.
There are
more than 40 statues and memorials along the Victoria Embankment, either facing
the street itself or in the gardens that line the landward side of much of its
length. Not all of these are to military personnel, as they include the poet
Robert Burns, engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, composer Sir Arthur Sullivan
and religious reformer William Tyndale.
On the
landward side, at the Westminster end of the
Embankment, are the backs of government buildings that front on to Whitehall , most notably
the white stone edifice of the Ministry of Defence.
There are
several ships moored permanently along the Victoria Embankment, and the first
to be encountered is the Tattershall Castle , a paddle steamer that was once a ferry across
the River Humber at Hull .
It now operates as a party and meetings venue that is also open as a public bar
and restaurant.
After passing
under the noisy Hungerford Bridge that carries commuter trains across the river
into Charing Cross Station (there is a walkway that will take you across the
river to the south bank), the main Embankment Gardens are on the left and
Embankment Pier on the right.
Not far along
is the oldest item you will see on this walk, namely Cleopatra’s Needle. It has
nothing to do with Cleopatra, being more than a thousand years older than the
tragic Egyptian queen. It is an obelisk that was made for Pharaoh Thotmes III
in 1460 BC and brought to London in 1878, being
the twin of the obelisk in Central
Park , New York . It
now stands beside the Thames , and is flanked
by two bronze sphinxes (Victorian replicas). You can see evidence of damage to
the plinth of the obelisk caused by a Zeppelin raid during World War I.
The view
across the river is of the Royal Festival Hall and the smaller Queen Elizabeth
Hall, behind which is the Hayward Gallery.
Just before Waterloo Bridge
is another floating bar and restaurant, the twin-funnelled Queen Mary that was
built in 1993 to carry mail and passengers along the west coast of Scotland (and
should not be confused with the former Cunard liner of the same name!).
Beyond Waterloo Bridge , on the landward side, is the
rear of Somerset House, which can be entered from the Embankment. Built on the
site of a Tudor palace, the present building dates from the late 18th
century and is a splendid example of neo-classical architecture. It is a major
Arts venue, housing the Courtauld Gallery and many other tenants who stage
exhibitions and events throughout the year. At the heart of Somerset House is
the Fountain Court ,
which becomes a public ice rink during the winter months.
Another
floating restaurant is “The Yacht”, which was formerly the St Katherine, built
in 1927, and which was armed and saw action during World War II.
Not far away
is HQS Wellington, an ex-Navy sloop, which as HMS Wellington saw service protecting
convoys during World War II. The ship operates as a floating classroom and is
open to the general public only on special occasions.
Further along
is HMS President, a corvette built in 1918 and designed to look like a merchant
ship so that it would attract the attention of German U-boats. She saw little
service, being built when the war was nearly over, and has been moored up for
the last 80 years. The ship operates as a meetings and events venue, although
the bar is open on most days.
On the other side
of the road are the gardens of the Middle and Inner Temples ,
two of the four Inns of Court at which barristers are trained. The gardens and
some of the buildings may be visited, but the entrance is on the other side
from the Embankment.
Incidentally,
just before reaching the Temple you will have
entered the City of London , as opposed to Westminster . The border
is marked by two impressive painted griffons, standing on stone plinths on
either side of the road.
© John
Welford
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