The Victoria Embankment, London
A riverside walk with plenty to see along the way
London’s Victoria Embankment stretches along the north bank of the River Thames from Westminster Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge, a distance of about one and a quarter miles. It is a broad street that carries two lanes of traffic in each direction, with pavements on both sides. There are features of interest on both the river and landward sides of the road, so care must be taken when crossing from one to the other.
The Victoria Embankment is a feat of Victorian engineering that was originally built with a very utilitarian purpose, namely to form a conduit for London’s largest sewer, which was being built under the direction of Joseph Bazalgette. At the same time, accommodation was made for the underground Metropolitan Railway (now the District and Circle Lines) under the “cut and cover” method. There are four stations along the route, Westminster and Blackfriars at the two ends and Embankment and Temple spaced evenly between them.
If starting the walk from Westminster Bridge, you will have the Palace of Westminster, with the Big Ben clock tower, right behind you. Immediately on the right is…
