Today when we think of Crossness Pumping Station, images of the magnificent beam engine house come to mind – its Romanesque bricks and painted ironwork. But did you know that Crossness was more than just the surviving engine house? It was once a vast and sprawling site with multiple engine houses, fitting shops, blacksmith forges, coal stores, and more. And it wasn’t all industrial either! Crossness was home to its employees, who lived on site in cottages and sent their children to school on the property.
The Beam Engine House at Crossness Pumping Station in 1865
Crossness Pumping Station was first built in 1865, designed by Joseph Bazalgette to pump millions of tons of sewage out of London. When it opened, it was considered an engineering marvel. By 1893, the operation had expanded to three engine and boiler houses, as shown on the map. All of those engines and boilers needed constant maintenance, which were provided by the onsite fitting shops and a blacksmith’s forge.
Also listed on the 1893 map are the worker’s cottages, built in terraces around the underground reservoir. A newspaper article from 1868 stated that there were 21 houses occupied by 33 married men and their families and a few single men. Crossness’ superintendent lived in a specially built home. Workers and their families grew their own food on allotments on site and enjoyed the grassy open space of the old reservoir with cricket matches and picnics. Children attended school in a speciality built two room school house.
Crossness’ houses before demolition in 1959
Plans showing the layout of the worker’s cottages
Superintendent’s House in the early 1950s
Sadly, the houses of Crossness were demolished in the late 1950s alongside several outbuildings and the chimney. Today, the Fitting Shop, the Valve House, and the original 1865 Boiler House and Beam Engine House remain.