Thames Embankment

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The Victoria Embankment under construction in 1865.
The Victoria Embankment under construction in 1865.

The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century civil engineering in central London. Designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, it incorporates the main low level interceptor sewer from west London, over which a wide road and riverside walkway were also constructed, as well as a retaining wall along the north side of the River Thames.

From Battersea Bridge in the west, the Thames Embankment includes sections of Cheyne Walk, Chelsea Embankment, Grosvenor Road, Millbank and Victoria Tower Gardens. Beyond the Houses of Parliament, it is named Victoria Embankment as it stretches to Blackfriars Bridge; this stretch also incorporates a section of the London Underground network used by the District and Circle Lines, and several stretches of gardens and open space.

Some parts of the Embankment were built in the 20th century, having been reconstructed following wartime bomb damage or natural disasters such as the 1928 Thames flood.

The much smaller Albert Embankment is on the south side of the river, opposite the Millbank section of the Thames Embankment.

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