Map shows London ‘engineering icons’ that you can walk around in one day

If you have had enough of sitting on a cramped London Underground train to visit your favourite engineering landmarks, then worry no more.

A map showing 12 iconic sites around the centre of London all within walking distance has been released by Footways to those who enjoy stretching their legs no matter the weather.

Starting at Farringdon, those who wish to marvel at some of the best feats of engineering London has to offer only need to walk 17 minutes.

Emma Griffin, co-founder of Footways added: ‘We have been actively looking to change the way algorithms want us to move around the city.

‘What better way to do that than by actively embracing the oldest form of travel – walking – and discovering those wonders above and below our feet.’

1. St Pancras Station

Inaugurated in 1868, the station in the heart of London is considered a perfect example of Victorian engineering.

It includes a 75-meter-wide train-shed roof composed of 24 wrought-iron ribs which span the entire station.

At the turn of the 21st century, the station underwent an £800 million refurbishment to serve as the terminal for HS1.

The station was reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 2007.

2. Mail Rail

Next up on the tour, is the little known private tube line once used exclusively by Royal Mail between 1927 and 2003.

The Mail Rail, or the Post Office Railway, covers 6.5 miles of London – from Whitechapel to Paddington.

At its engineering peak, the rail used driverless electric chains and covered four million letters every day across 22 hours.

The construction of the Mail Rail tunnels employed the Greathead Shield System, a temporary support structure that significantly reduced the risk of collapse and loss of life during excavation.

3. Tower Bridge

The iconic Tower Bridge next up on the tour. It measures 244 metres (800 feet) in length, with two towers each 65 metres (213 feet) high.

Completed in 1894, Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge, built to ease road traffic in London while maintaining river access to the Pool of London docks.

Tourists frequently gather to watch the bridge to life for passing ships.

The bridge’s ability to move was originally operated by steam-powered hydraulics.

These were replaced by an electro-hydraulic drive system in the 1970s.

4. London Wall Place

Remnants of the Roman wall that once encircled Londinium can still be found in various parts of the city.

Dating back to around 200 AD the wall originally stretched about 2.5 miles, was 2-2.6 meters thick at its base and stood over six meters high, enclosing an area of approximately 134 hectares.

This made London the largest enclosed urban area in Roman Britain.

Until the later Middle Ages, the wall defined the boundaries of the City of London, influencing its growth and development both within and beyond its confines.

5. The River Fleet

Once a major river, the River Fleet is now a running sewer from Hampstead Heath to Blackfriars.

The River Fleet was notorious for its pollution and was gradually covered over from the 1730s to the 1870s, transforming into a storm relief drain.

Today there’s renewed interest in the Fleet, with guided walks tracing its route.

6. Golden Jubilee Bridge, London Sewage System and memorial to Bazalgette

The pair of striking mast-like footbridges flanking the Hungerford railway bridge were named in honour of Elizabeth II’s 2002 Golden Jubilee, and opened the same year.

They were made in response to the ‘Great Stink’ of 1858 after the River Thames became overloaded by human waste.

It was Sir Joseph Bazalgette who came to the rescue, and engineered a series of sewers which directed sewers to treatment facilities.

This was a key point for urban sanitation world wide.

7. Victoria Station

Victoria Station is one of London’s busiest railway stations, receiving more than 45 million passengers a year.

It was originally built as two competing railway stations, serving Brighton and Dover.

The station is situated in a heavily congested environment, including the underground Victoria, District and Circle railway lines as well as Terminus Place bus station in front of the station entrance.

8. Paddington and the Isambard Kingdom Brunel statue

Central London boasts several statues honouring engineers who have made significant contributions to their fields.

The statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel at Paddington Station is one such example.

He was a pioneering victorian engineer, and was instrumental in the creation of the

Great Western Railway and numerous important bridges and tunnels across the UK.

The life-size bronze statue, crafted by John Doubleday, was originally installed in 1982 and now stands prominently between Platforms 8 and 9.

9. The Westway

London’s most notorious urban motorway, constructed 1964–70, was designed as an elevated motorway to minimise land use and avoid the complexities of tunnelling.

Engineers used a pioneering technique where short concrete roadway sections were cast off-site, then fixed in place with tensioned
longitudinal cables.

Its impact on North Kensington was devastating, as hundreds of homes were demolished and neighbourhoods severed, provoking protest.

10. Cumberland Turn Basin

In a corner of Regent’s Park, a floating Chinese restaurant resides as the canal takes a ninety-degree turn, heading towards Camden Town.

But, until the 1930s, the canal didn’t veer away from here. Instead, a branch of it continued southward, all the way down to the basin of Cumberland Market.

It was constructed in the early 19th century to serve the Cumberland Market, which was a bustling hub for hay and straw trade.

Over time, the canal branch fell into disuse and was eventually filled in during the 1940s, primarily using rubble from buildings damaged in the Blitz.

11. Camden Lock and Market

Camden Lock and Market is situated on the site of the former Camden Goods Depot, a notable example of 19th-century transport infrastructure in England.

It was initially constructed as the London terminus for railway goods traffic.

To extend the railway to Euston, engineers had to overcome a steep incline, necessitating the use of a winch to haul trains up to Chalk Farm.

This system operated from 1837 to 1844, and the subterranean Stationary Winding Vaults, now Grade II* listed, are the remaining evidence of this
feature.

12. Somers Town Bridge

This new pedestrian bridge connects two unique green spaces, the Camley Street Natural Park and Gasholder Gardens in King’s Cross.

The bridge also provides views of the elaborate St Pancras Waterpoint, which once sat behind St Pancras Station, supplying water for steam trains.

The bridge’s supports are designed to curve above the deck level. This innovative design not only adds an aesthetic appeal, but also ensures that the view beneath the bridge remains unobstructed for canal users.

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