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Grosvenor Canal
Only a very short stretch of what was already the shortest canal in London survives today, preserved as a water feature within a housing development, near where the canal meets the Thames.
It was built by the Chelsea Waterworks Company, whose Western Pumping Station and chimney survive today. The company dug a navigable tidal inlet in 1725 to provide waterborne access from the Thames to their works, but it was not until almost a hundred years later that they converted this to a proper canal with locks.
The canal opened in 1823, reaching as far as the present day Victoria bus terminus. The advent of the railways saw the canal gradually reduced in length over the years as Victoria station (originally known as "Grosvenor Terminus") was built and expanded from 1860 onwards. The station is located on the site of Grosvenor Basin and retains a similar footprint to the basin area.
Despite all of this, the canal was the last in London to operate commercially, handling waste barges until the 1990s.
It was built by the Chelsea Waterworks Company, whose Western Pumping Station and chimney survive today. The company dug a navigable tidal inlet in 1725 to provide waterborne access from the Thames to their works, but it was not until almost a hundred years later that they converted this to a proper canal with locks.
The canal opened in 1823, reaching as far as the present day Victoria bus terminus. The advent of the railways saw the canal gradually reduced in length over the years as Victoria station (originally known as "Grosvenor Terminus") was built and expanded from 1860 onwards. The station is located on the site of Grosvenor Basin and retains a similar footprint to the basin area.
Despite all of this, the canal was the last in London to operate commercially, handling waste barges until the 1990s.
Created: Sat, 24 May 2014, Updated: Sun, 25 May 2014
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