December 13th 2024.
St Pancras Station is the first stop on the list for those tired of squeezing onto cramped London Underground trains to see their favorite engineering wonders. But now, there's a solution. Footways, a company that promotes walking as a way to explore the city, has released a map of 12 iconic sites in central London that are all within walking distance. The tour begins at Farringdon and takes only 17 minutes to reach some of the best examples of engineering in London. Co-founder Emma Griffin explains, "We want to change the way algorithms dictate our movements in the city. What better way to do that than by embracing the oldest form of travel - walking - and discovering the wonders above and below our feet."
The first site on the tour is St Pancras Station, an impressive example of Victorian engineering. It opened in 1868 and features a 75-meter-wide train-shed roof made up of 24 wrought-iron ribs. In 2007, the station underwent an £800 million renovation to serve as the terminal for HS1, and was reopened by Queen Elizabeth II. From there, visitors can continue on to see the Mail Rail, a little-known private tube line that was once used exclusively by the Royal Mail between 1927 and 2003. It covers 6.5 miles of London and used to transport four million letters every day. The construction of the Mail Rail tunnels employed the Greathead Shield System, which reduced the risk of collapse and loss of life during excavation.
Next on the tour is the iconic Tower Bridge, completed in 1894 to ease road traffic in London while maintaining river access to the Pool of London docks. The bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge with two towers standing 65 meters high. Visitors can watch the bridge open for passing ships, and may be surprised to learn that its ability to move was originally operated by steam-powered hydraulics. These were later replaced by an electro-hydraulic drive system in the 1970s.
The tour also includes a stop at London Wall Place, where remnants of the Roman wall that once encircled Londinium can still be found. Built around 200 AD, the wall stretched 2.5 miles and was 6 meters tall, enclosing an area of approximately 134 hectares. It defined the boundaries of the City of London until the Middle Ages, influencing its growth and development.
Other sites on the tour include the River Fleet, once a major river now covered and used as a storm relief drain; the Golden Jubilee Bridge, a footbridge built in response to the "Great Stink" of 1858 when the River Thames was overloaded with human waste; Victoria Station, one of the busiest railway stations in London; Paddington Station, home to a statue of pioneering engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel; the Westway, London's most notorious urban motorway; Cumberland Turn Basin, a former canal branch that has since been filled in; Camden Lock and Market, a former railway goods depot; and Somers Town Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that connects two green spaces and offers views of the St Pancras Waterpoint.
So if you're ready to see some of the best engineering London has to offer, put on your walking shoes and follow the map. You might just discover some hidden wonders above and below your feet.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
