Woolwich foot tunnel

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Woolwich foot tunnel
London, Woolwich foot tunnel 08.jpg
Overview
LocationWoolwich, London
Coordinates 51°29′56″N0°03′42″E / 51.49879°N 0.06165°E / 51.49879; 0.06165 (Woolwich foot tunnel, north entrance)
CrossesRiver Thames
Operation
Opened1912
TrafficPedestrian
Technical
Design engineer Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice
Length504 metres (1,654 ft)
Route map
Woolwich Ferry map.svg

The Woolwich foot tunnel crosses under the River Thames in Woolwich, in East London from Old Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich to North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. The tunnel offers pedestrians and cyclists an alternative way to cross the river when the Woolwich Free Ferry service is not operating. Both entrances to the tunnel (north entrance at 51°29′56″N0°03′42″E / 51.49879°N 0.06165°E / 51.49879; 0.06165 (Woolwich foot tunnel, north entrance) and south entrance at 51°29′40″N0°03′46″E / 51.49432°N 0.06289°E / 51.49432; 0.06289 (Woolwich foot tunnel, south entrance) ) are Grade II listed buildings. [1] [2] The south entrance is somewhat hidden behind the Waterfront leisure centre. It is the oldest remaining building in the riverside area of Old Woolwich.

Contents

Construction

North entrance WoolwichTunnelNorthEntrance.jpg
North entrance
South entrance behind Waterfront Leisure Centre Northeast View of the South Entrance Rotunda of the Woolwich Foot Tunnel.jpg
South entrance behind Waterfront Leisure Centre

The tunnel was designed by Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice and built by Walter Scott & Middleton [3] for London County Council and opened by Lord Cheylesmore, Chairman of the LCC, on Saturday, 26 October 1912. [4] Its creation owed much to the efforts of working-class politician Will Crooks 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.

Refurbishment

Inside Woolwich Foot Tunnel prior to 2011 refit WoolwichTunnelLondon.jpg
Inside Woolwich Foot Tunnel prior to 2011 refit

Greenwich Council started work to upgrade both this tunnel and the Greenwich foot tunnel on 19 April 2010. The works were to reduce leakage, improve drainage and to install new lifts, CCTV, communication facilities and signage, with an original completion date of March 2011. During the works, the tunnel closed on Monday to Friday daytimes, when the Woolwich Free Ferry was available as an 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 reopen in August 2011, but eventually reopened to the public in December 2011, though initially access to the tunnel was only by stairs until final works on the lifts were completed. [5]

The tunnel has been fitted with a leaky feeder system to permit operation of mobile phones. The tunnel is 504 metres (1,654 ft) long and at its deepest, the tunnel roof is about 3 metres (9.8 ft) below the river bed. [3]

The ‘Friends of Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels’ (FOGWOFT) was established in September 2013. [6]

In 2016 the Ethos Active Mobility system was installed in the tunnel to monitor and actively manage tunnel usage. The system uses computer vision to count and measure the speed of bicycles and pedestrians, and displays messages on electronic signs to encourage considerate behaviour. The system has also been installed in the Greenwich foot tunnel and aims to make urban shared spaces safer and more pleasant to use for all. The system displays two messages - "No cycling allowed" (in red text) during busy periods, and "Please consider pedestrians" (in green text) during quiet periods. [7]

Usage

A 2016 survey showed that around 1,000 people use the tunnel each day. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Royal Borough of Greenwich Royal borough in United Kingdom

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and part of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich to the east. The local council is Greenwich London Borough Council which meets in Woolwich Town Hall. The council's offices are also based in Woolwich, the main urban centre in the borough.

Isle of Dogs Area in the East End of London, England

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Woolwich District in southeast London, England

Woolwich is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Greenwich Human settlement in England

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Greenwich foot tunnel Tunnel under the River Thames in London

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Woolwich Ferry Ferry across the River Thames in east London

The Woolwich Ferry is a free vehicle and pedestrian ferry across the River Thames in East London, connecting Woolwich on the south bank with North Woolwich on the north. It is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of Transport for London (TfL). Around two million passengers use the ferry each year.

London River Services Licenser of river services, part of Transport for London

London River Services Limited is a division of Transport for London (TfL), which manages passenger transport—leisure-oriented tourist services and commuter services—on the River Thames in London. It does not own or operate any boats itself, but licenses the services of operators.

North Woolwich Human settlement in England

North Woolwich is an area in the London Borough of Newham in East London. It is located on the northern bank of the River Thames, across the river from Woolwich. It is connected to Woolwich by the Woolwich Ferry and Woolwich foot tunnel.

Millwall Human settlement in London, England

Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of Rotherhithe, west of Cubitt Town, and has a long shoreline along London's Tideway, part of the River Thames. It was part of the County of Middlesex and from 1889 the County of London following the passing of the Local Government Act 1888, it later became part of Greater London in 1965.

Thames foot tunnel may refer to the following tunnels under the River Thames in London:

North Greenwich, Isle of Dogs Human settlement in England

North Greenwich is a formal 19th century name for an area now in Millwall situated at the very southern tip of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the south of the commercial estates of West India Docks including Canary Wharf and has a short shoreline along London's Tideway part of the River Thames.

Thames Gateway Bridge

The Thames Gateway Bridge was a proposed crossing over the River Thames in east London, England. It was first mooted in the 1970s but never came to fruition. The concept was re-proposed in 2004, with preliminary planning proceeding until November 2008, when Boris Johnson, the then Mayor of London, formally cancelled the entire £500 million scheme.

Island Gardens

Island Gardens is a public park located at the southern end of the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north bank of the River Thames. The park was formally opened on 3 August 1895 by local politician Will Crooks.

Woolwich Arsenal Pier

Woolwich Arsenal Pier, also known as the Royal Arsenal Pier, Woolwich, is a pier on the River Thames, at Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. Designed by Beckett Rankine and built by Mowlem in 2002, the pier is operated by London River Services.

Ridgeway (London)

The Ridgeway is a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) "cycling permitted pedestrian priority" footpath owned by Thames Water in southeast London. It runs between Plumstead and Crossness on an embankment that covers the Joseph Bazalgette Southern Outfall Sewer.

Gallions Reach Crossing

The Gallions Reach Crossing is a proposed River Thames crossing close to Gallions Reach in East London, running between Beckton in the London Borough of Newham and Thamesmead in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Originally a proposed ferry crossing replacing the Woolwich Ferry, later plans suggested either a bridge or a tunnel. It is being developed in conjunction with the Belvedere Crossing, just downriver.

Old Woolwich

Old Woolwich or Woolwich Central Riverside is an area along the Thames in Woolwich, South East London. It is the oldest inhabited part of Woolwich, going back to an Anglo-Saxon riverside settlement. When the demographic centre of Woolwich shifted south in the 1800s, the area became a Victorian slum. Most of Old Woolwich was cleared in the 20th and early 21st centuries to make way for industrial, infrastructural and other large-scale developments. Although most of the earlier buildings have been demolished, the area has retained some interesting architecture, including the Georgian parish church, the Edwardian foot tunnel rotunda and two cinemas of the 1930s.

References

  1. "Listed Buildings Online: Entrance To Woolwich Pedestrian Tunnel". English Heritage . Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  2. "Listed Buildings Online: South Entrance Rotunda Woolwich Foot Tunnel". English Heritage. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Engineering Timelines - Woolwich Foot Tunnel". www.engineering-timelines.com.
  4. Opening of Woolwich footway tunnel. The Council. 1912. OL   19249993M.
  5. "Woolwich Foot Tunnel reopens". News Shopper.
  6. "Friends of Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels". fogwoft.
  7. "GEOmii – integrated platforms for better urban management".
  8. Friends of Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels https://fogwoft.com/blog/
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