Closed for a decade - part of the Thames riverside path has reopened at last

"A section of the Thames path that has been sealed off via a noisome detour since 2017 has finally reopened, with a new large riverside plaza. This is the Bazalgette Embankment, which sits atop a deep shaft as part of the Thames Super Sewer, designed to intercept sewage from overflowing Victorian sewers from entering the river. It's as much a functional space below as it is a public space above,"

"As with the other super-sewer headhouses, there's a work of art that is both very obvious and, at the same time, anonymous, as it's unmarked. Called Stages, dotted around are some vast slabs of black abstract lumps by Nathan Coley that look rather nicely brutalist, but please don't read the wanky arty speak on the Tideway website. What we are told will be a cascading water feature is presumably to be switched on at a later date."

A section of the Thames path sealed since 2017 has reopened with a large riverside plaza at the Bazalgette Embankment. The embankment sits above a deep shaft that forms part of the Thames Super Sewer, constructed to intercept sewage from overflowing Victorian sewers. The plaza provides public access above a functional underground space and includes underlit benches, extensive soft planting, and a planned replacement toilet. A public artwork titled Stages features large unmarked black abstract slabs by Nathan Coley. The scheme includes a cascading water feature to be activated later, three curved stink pipes near raised seating, underlighting to reduce light pollution, river-wave floor panels around trees, padded tiling under new stairs, and a riverside wall that shifts from solid to timber handrails along its length.

Read at ianVisits