The existing and former canal route to Victoria
The Grosvenor Canal was built by the Chelsea Waterworks Company,
whose premises were situated by the River Thames at Pimlico. The
remaining waterworks building, known as
the Western Pumping Station and built in 1875, can stil be seen
today by both road and rail users. The Chelsea company initially
dug a navigable tidal inlet in 1725 to provide waterborne access
from the Thames to their works. However, it was to be almost a
hundred years later before they decided to build a proper canal in
lieu of the tidal creek.
The short canal was opened in 1823 and in its original guise it
went right up to about where the Victoria bus staion is situated.
It also served as a water supply channel for the company's
reservoirs.
Much of the canal subsequently disappeared under the new railway
route being built at Victoria. In less than eighteen months and
costing only £84,000, on 1st June 1860 the first railway bridge
across the Thames in London gave the railways access to the area
that had been forfeited by the canal. The canal was initially cut
back to Belgrave Road. A further regression was made when the
number of platforms at Victoria were increased. The canal's
terminus then stood on the north side of Chelsea Bridge (now known
as Ebury Bridge
thus avoiding confusion with the other more well known Chelsea
Bridge) until the 1930's when it was again cut back, the land being
made available for council housing. For the
rest of the 20th Century it was not much more than a short length
of cut off the Thames.
The Grosvenor was the very last commercial canal to operate in
London, outlasting all other traffic on the Grand Surrey, Regents
and Lee Navigation routes. The Grosvenor's last
years was primarily as a garbage disposal facility, most recently
where trains of garbage barges (identified by their colourful
yellow superstructures) were towed down the Thames
for the rubbish to be dumped at sea. This ceased at the end of the
1990's and the canal has now been redeveloped as Grosvenor
Waterside. This consists of flats of a mix of
premium and affordable housing. Whilst the lock and part of the
canal form a major feature of the site, it will be static for there
will be a fixed bridge across the chamber of the lock. Above the
lock is a new section of watercourse that curves to the west side
of the new development, known as the Inner Dock. An article from
the Observer (Nov 2nd 2003) on freight revivial on the London
canals said of the new Grosvenor development: " When complete, the
old canal should be a haven of peace, away from the traffic and
bustle of Victoria. Criminally, boats will be excluded." Quite
right!
The Grosvenor Dock is where the River Westbourne's eastern
branch (and thus the now rarely used overspill from Paddington's
Canal Basin) flows into the Thames. Ironically the
canal once had the best recognised naturally colonised wetland
vegetation in the entire City of Westminster. It was reported that
care would be taken to preserve the ecological
value of the site. Unfortunately much of the rare fauna, as noted
in a report by Westminster City Council, was located on the
buildings that surrounded the canal basin.
The Grosvenor in April 1986. The barges on the left were typical of
those used at the time.
The canal in September 2005. The new development is partially
finished.
From the river can be seen the buildings and tower of 1875. On the
right is the railway bridges.
Below on the river are two barges of the type that were typical of
the Grosvenor's traffic.
The canal entrance is through the bridgehole on the left side of
the picture.
Ebury Bridge. The tower can be seen in the left upper corner. This
view looks almost directly down the former course of the Grosvenor
Canal.
On the left is the railway, and on the right are the flats built on
the canal's course. Just out of sight to the right is the bricked
up arch of the canal under Ebury Bridge.
This is a view looking along the canal's course. The flats seen
here are the same as those in the previous picture.
Looking in the opposite direction. The bricked up arch that crossed
over the canal is easily seen.
On the far side of Ebury Bridge is a view of the Victoria Station
environs. The land in the foreground (where the vans are parked)
was the canal's terminus until the 1930's.
No further trace of the canal remains beyond this point