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The Woolwich foot tunnel crosses under the River
The tunnel was designed by Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice and built by Walter Scott & Middleton for
Greenwich Council started work to upgrade both this tunnel and the
Greenwich Council foot tunnels pageFriends of Greenwich & Woolwich Foot TunnelsPress report of 1912
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolwich Foot Tunnel Pedestrian tunnels in the United Kingdom Tunnels underneath the River Thames Grade II listed tunnels Tunnels completed in 1912 1912 establishments in England Woolwich Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Newham Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Tourist attractions in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Newham Transport in the London Borough of Newham Transport in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Footpaths in London
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
in Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...
, in East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...
from Old Woolwich
Old Woolwich or Woolwich Central RiversideBoth these terms are potentially confusing as Old Woolwich may also refer to the present-day town centre, which is further south. Woolwich Riverside is also the name of an electoral ward constituting a muc ...
in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...
to North Woolwich
North Woolwich is an area in the London Borough of Newham in East London. It is located on the northern bank of the River Thames, across the river from Woolwich. It is connected to Woolwich by the Woolwich Ferry and Woolwich foot tunnel.
De ...
in the London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...
. The tunnel offers pedestrians and cyclists an alternative way to cross the river when the Woolwich Free Ferry
The Woolwich Ferry is a free vehicle and pedestrian ferry across the River Thames in East London, connecting Woolwich on the south bank with North Woolwich on the north. It is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of ...
service is not operating. Both entrances to the tunnel (north entrance at and south entrance at ) are Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
s. The south entrance is somewhat hidden behind the Waterfront leisure centre
A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...
. It is the oldest remaining building in the riverside area of Old Woolwich
Old Woolwich or Woolwich Central RiversideBoth these terms are potentially confusing as Old Woolwich may also refer to the present-day town centre, which is further south. Woolwich Riverside is also the name of an electoral ward constituting a muc ...
.
Construction
The tunnel was designed by Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice and built by Walter Scott & Middleton for London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...
and opened by Lord Cheylesmore, Chairman of the LCC, on Saturday, 26 October 1912. Its creation owed much to the efforts of working-class politician Will Crooks
William Crooks (6 April 1852 – 5 June 1921) was a noted trade unionist and politician from Poplar, London, and a member of the Fabian Society. He is particularly remembered for his campaigning work against poverty and inequality.
Early life
...
who had worked in the docks and, after chairing the LCC's Bridges Committee responsible for the tunnel, would later serve as Labour MP for Woolwich.
Refurbishment
Greenwich Council started work to upgrade both this tunnel and the Greenwich foot tunnel
The Greenwich Foot Tunnel crosses beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich (Royal Borough of Greenwich) on the south bank with Millwall (London Borough of Tower Hamlets) on the north. Approximately 4,000 people use the tunnel ...
on 19 April 2010. The works were to reduce leakage, improve drainage and to install new lifts, CCTV, communication facilities and signage, with an original completion date of March 2011. During the works, the tunnel closed on Monday to Friday daytimes, when the Woolwich Free Ferry was available as an alternative crossing.
On 24 September 2010, Greenwich Council closed the Woolwich foot tunnel to all users, due to structural weaknesses discovered in the stairways and tunnel itself. The tunnel was originally expected to reopen in August 2011, but eventually reopened to the public in December 2011, though initially access to the tunnel was only by stairs until final works on the lifts were completed.
The tunnel has been fitted with a leaky feeder system to permit operation of mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
s. The tunnel is long and at its deepest, the tunnel roof is about below the river bed.
The ‘Friends of Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels’ (FOGWOFT) was established in September 2013.
In 2016 the Ethos Active Mobility system was installed in the tunnel to monitor and actively manage tunnel usage. The system uses computer vision to count and measure the speed of bicycles and pedestrians, and displays messages on electronic signs to encourage considerate behaviour. The system has also been installed in the Greenwich foot tunnel and aims to make urban shared spaces safer and more pleasant to use for all. The system displays two messages - "No cycling allowed" (in red text) during busy periods, and "Please consider pedestrians" (in green text) during quiet periods.
Usage
A 2016 survey showed that around 1,000 people use the tunnel each day.Friends of Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels https://fogwoft.com/blog/See also
*Crossings of the River Thames
The River Thames is the second-longest river in the United Kingdom, passes through the capital city, and has many crossings.
Counting every channel – such as by its islands linked to only one bank – it is crossed by over 300 brid ...
* Tunnels underneath the River Thames
References
External links
Greenwich Council foot tunnels page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolwich Foot Tunnel Pedestrian tunnels in the United Kingdom Tunnels underneath the River Thames Grade II listed tunnels Tunnels completed in 1912 1912 establishments in England Woolwich Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Newham Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Tourist attractions in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Newham Transport in the London Borough of Newham Transport in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Footpaths in London