This shortish walk in Central London is from Walking Post and is a tour around various historical sites connected with the London sewer system and provision of toilets. For me I chose it because it goes along the new Bazalgette Embankment, one of the new public spaces created by the Thames Tideway sewer system.
The walk starts at Tower Hill underground station right by the Tower of London which it seems has its own toilet history.
Trinity Square Gardens. Then into Seething Lane and the statue of Samuel Pepys.
Seething Lane Gardens then along the streets where the Walkie Talkie skyscraper suddenly dominates.
The churchyard of St Dunstan where only the tower survives. The old Billingsgate fish market but opposite, missed by me, is the Billingsgate Roman House and Baths whose remains can be viewed in the basement of an office building.
The monument, then the church of St Magnus the Martyr.
Inside the church is a quite impressive model of the old London Bridge. Then out to its modern equivalent. Due to works taking place in the area I had to climb steps up to the bridge then down an impressive spiral staircase down the river itself.
This dark and gloomy underpass was the site of Dick Whittington's Giant Toilet built in 1421. Nothing remains today. Back on Upper Thames Street.
Whittington Gardens and a plaque saying Dick Whittington was buried in the church.
A statue called 'Swan Marker and Barge Master. Then out onto Queenhithe with the Globe theatre opposite.
Along the embankment with the Millenium and Blackfriar bridges ahead. Then the start of the new Bazalgette embankment under Blackfriar's bridge. The Fleet river joins the Thames here but is now totally hidden with its connection to the new sewer.
Along the Bazalgette Embankment, busy with pedestrians.
Various black works of art.
The plaza at the end has more artworks, one of them engraved in memory to various people.
Leaving the Bazalgette I continued along and into Victoria Embankment, built by the original Bazalgette. Then a diversion through Somerset House into the large courtyard behind.
Out of the courtyard and into the Strand. Then down Carting Lane which has an example of the Web Patent Sewer Gas Lamp, original lit by the gas from the sewer below. At this point I decided to break my journey and headed back to Waterloo where I had lunch at the Wetherspoons before heading home.
I had the opportunity on the following Saturday to go up to London for Daffodil Day held at Methodist Central Hall, an event I have been to several times in the past. So an opportunity to do the remaining part of the sewer walk.
Having arrived at Waterloo I made my way across Waterloo bridge up to the Strand where I had finished last time. I found the instructions given not very clear and got lost several times, even in an area I should know. But the archway here, in Embankment Gardens, marks where the Thames river bank was before Bazalgette built the Victorian Embankment, quite a way back.
The guide suggests I visit the pop-up urinal in Villiers St. Here it is in its daytime 'down' postition. It is not clear if this unit is still in operation after a workman was killed in another one in 2023. I took another wrong turn shortly after this and running out of time made my way to Central Hall for an enjoyable afternoon at Daffodil Day.