Victorian Embankment Walk, by Alec Forshaw

Alec Forshaw, architectural historian, will guide a walk to look at a wide selection of the Embankment’s works of commemoration.

Victoria Embankment was completed in 1870, laid out by Joseph Bazalgette as part of the Metropolitan Board of Work’s ambitious project to construct a new underground sewage system for London. On land reclaimed from the river, the Embankment provided a new riverside boulevard, an underground railway and a string of public ornamental gardens for the delight of Londoners, overlooked by some magnificent late 19th and early 20th century buildings. Over the last 150 years, these beautifully maintained spaces have become adorned with a remarkable collection of monuments, memorials, sculpture and statues to the great-and-good.

Alec Forshaw, architectural historian and author, and leader of previous Vic.Soc. walks around Bloomsbury, Spitalfields and Smithfield, will guide a walk to look at a wide selection of the Embankment’s works of commemoration.

Meeting place: Start at Temple Underground Station

FAQs

How do I get to the meeting place?

The Temple Underground Station is on the District and Circle Line. The nearest railway station is Charing Cross.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Please contact Ruth Miller by email at events@victoriansociety.org.uk before the day of the event.

This event helps raise funds for The Victorian Society - the only charity dedicated to fighting for our Victorian and Edwardian heritage. Funds raised from events and memberships allow us to employ expert caseworkers to reply to thousands of planning applications a year in our role as a statutory consultee in the planning system.

We help tackle the climate emergency by campaigning for the sensitive reuse of historic buildings to generate much lower carbon emissions than demolition and rebuild. Join us today and safeguard our unique cultural heritage for future generations! For further information, click here.

Image: Victorian Embankement, 1890s. Library of Congress, Public Domain