Woolwich foot tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Woolwich foot tunnel is a tunnel
crossing under the River Thames in East London from Woolwich
in the London Borough of Greenwich
to North Woolwich
in the London Borough of Newham
. The tunnel offers pedestrians an alternative way to cross the river when the Woolwich Ferry
service is not operating. Both entrances to the tunnel are Grade II listed buildings.
Greenwich Council started work to upgrade both this tunnel and the Greenwich foot tunnel
on 19 April 2010. The works will reduce leakage, improve drainage and see the installation of new lifts, CCTV, communication facilities and signage with a scheduled completion date of March 2011. During the works, the tunnel will close on Monday to Friday daytimes, when the Woolwich Free Ferry is available as alternative crossing.
On 24 September 2010 Greenwich Council closed the Woolwich Foot Tunnel to all users, due to structural weaknesses discovered in the stairways and tunnel itself. The tunnel was originally expected to re-open in August 2011, but a new expected re-opening date has not been provided by Greenwich Council.
and built by Walter Scott & Middleton for London County Council
and opened by Lord Cheylesmore
, Chairman of the LCC, on Saturday, 26 October 1912. In many respects it is very similar to the nearby Greenwich foot tunnel
, being accessed by lifts and stairs from buildings featuring glass domes. This tunnel too is glazed with white tiles (although many have been defaced).
The tunnel has been fitted with a leaky feeder
system to permit operation of mobile phone
s.
The tunnel is 504 metre
s long.
who had worked in the docks and, after chairing the LCC's Bridges Committee responsible for the tunnel, would later serve as Labour
MP for Woolwich.
.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
crossing under the River Thames in East London from Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
to North Woolwich
North Woolwich
North Woolwich is a place in the London Borough of Newham. It is located north of Woolwich proper which is on the south bank of the River Thames. The two places are linked by the Woolwich Ferry and the Woolwich foot tunnel.-History:...
in the London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
. The tunnel offers pedestrians an alternative way to cross the river when the Woolwich Ferry
Woolwich Ferry
The Woolwich Free Ferry is a boat service across the River Thames, London, UK, which is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of Transport for London...
service is not operating. Both entrances to the tunnel are Grade II listed buildings.
Greenwich Council started work to upgrade both this tunnel and the Greenwich foot tunnel
Greenwich foot tunnel
The Greenwich foot tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich in the south with the Isle of Dogs to the north...
on 19 April 2010. The works will reduce leakage, improve drainage and see the installation of new lifts, CCTV, communication facilities and signage with a scheduled completion date of March 2011. During the works, the tunnel will close on Monday to Friday daytimes, when the Woolwich Free Ferry is available as alternative crossing.
On 24 September 2010 Greenwich Council closed the Woolwich Foot Tunnel to all users, due to structural weaknesses discovered in the stairways and tunnel itself. The tunnel was originally expected to re-open in August 2011, but a new expected re-opening date has not been provided by Greenwich Council.
Construction
The tunnel was designed by Sir Maurice FitzmauriceMaurice Fitzmaurice
Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice CMG was an Irish civil engineer. He was apprenticed to Benjamin Baker and worked with him on the Forth Railway Bridge before going to Egypt to build the Aswan Dam for which he was appointed both a member of the Ottoman Order of the Mejidiye and a companion of the British...
and built by Walter Scott & Middleton for London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
and opened by Lord Cheylesmore
Herbert Eaton, 3rd Baron Cheylesmore
Major-General Herbert Francis Eaton, 3rd Baron Cheylesmore KCMG, KCVO was a British Army officer, sportsman, and peer...
, Chairman of the LCC, on Saturday, 26 October 1912. In many respects it is very similar to the nearby Greenwich foot tunnel
Greenwich foot tunnel
The Greenwich foot tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich in the south with the Isle of Dogs to the north...
, being accessed by lifts and stairs from buildings featuring glass domes. This tunnel too is glazed with white tiles (although many have been defaced).
The tunnel has been fitted with a leaky feeder
Leaky feeder
A leaky feeder is a communications system used in underground mining and other tunnel environments. It consists of a coaxial cable run along drivages which emits and receives radio waves. The cable is "leaky" in that it has gaps or slots in its outer conductor to allow signal to leak into or out of...
system to permit operation of mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s.
The tunnel is 504 metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s long.
Will Crooks
Its creation owed much to the efforts of working-class politician Will CrooksWill Crooks
William Crooks was a noted trade unionist and politician from Poplar, London, and a member of the Fabian Society...
who had worked in the docks and, after chairing the LCC's Bridges Committee responsible for the tunnel, would later serve as Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP for Woolwich.
Lift service
The lift service operates Monday to Saturday, 7.30am to 6pm and Sunday, 9am to 4.30pm.South entrance
The south entrance is now somewhat hidden behind the Waterfront leisure centreLeisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
.
External links
- Greenwich Council foot tunnels page
- PortCities Info
- Press report of 1912
- North entrance: 51.4988°N 0.0616°E; south entrance: 51.49434°N 0.06283°E