How to make sewage stylish and sexy: Victorian Pumping Station opens doors to public as one of London's tourist attractions

The Victorians might not be known for their sartorial style, but they certainly knew how to make sewage look sexy. 

A pumping station in South East London's Abbey Wood that was built in 1865 has had a multi-million pound makeover and is now opening  its doors to the public, the Daily Mail reported. 

The Crossness Pumping Station was built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette as part of the capital's new sewage system, and as well as providing an important function, the design also included incredibly intricate cast iron detailing.

 

The Beam Engine House is now Grade I listed and as a result, much of the original structure remains intact today, with the four original pumping engines, which are possibly the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52 ton flywheels and 47 ton beams.  

The Crossness Engines Trust, a registered charity, was set up in 1987 to restore the installation, with the help of £2.7million in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as help from a large unpaid volunteer workforce. 

 

The Station has now opened it doors to visitors but the public open days are still quite rare as staff are made up of volunteers, although they are working to increase this number, with visitors encouraged to check the website for details.