Crossness is a location in the
London Borough of Bexley, close to the southern bank of the
River Thames, to the east of
Thamesmead, west of
Belvedere and north-west of
Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...
. The place takes its name from Cross Ness, a specific promontory on the southern bank of the River Thames. In maritime terms, the tip of Cross Ness, in the past referred to as 'Leather Bottle Point', marks the boundary between Barking Reach and Halfway Reach. An unmanned lighthouse on Crossness is a navigational aid to shipping.
Sewer
Crossness is the location of the
Crossness Sewage Treatment Works, which includes the historic
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
Crossness Pumping Station
The Crossness Pumping Station is a former sewage pumping station designed by the Metropolitan Board of Works's chief engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette and architect Charles Henry Driver. It is located at Crossness Sewage Treatment Works, at the ea ...
, built at the eastern end of the
Southern Outfall Sewer as part of the
London sewerage system designed by Sir
Joseph Bazalgette and constructed between 1859 and 1865.
Lighthouse
Crossness
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
is a steel lattice structure. The light is at an elevation of 41 feet (12.5 m) and gives a white 5-second flash visible for 8 miles (12.9 km).
Access and recreation
Crossness Nature Reserve is east of the sewage works.
The
Ridgeway path, owned by
Thames Water and built on top of the
southern outfall sewer, stretches between
Plumstead railway station and the Crossness sewage treatment works. The nearest station to Crossness is
Abbey Wood, almost away.
The
Thames Path Extension - from the
Thames Barrier to Crayford Ness - runs along the southern bank of the river through Crossness.
See also
*
Northern Outfall Sewer
*
Beckton Sewage Treatment Works
*
Mogden Sewage Treatment Works
Mogden Sewage Treatment Works is a sewage treatment plant in the Ivybridge section of Isleworth, West London, formerly known as Mogden. Built in 1931–36 by Middlesex County Council and now operated by Thames Water, it is the third largest sewage ...
*
Riverside Sewage Treatment Works, Rainham
References
{{LB Bexley
Areas of London
Districts of the London Borough of Bexley
Districts of London on the River Thames