London's Rivers

Photographs by Peter Marshall

Chelsea Harbour River Thames
Chelsea Harbour
A modern development with hotel, flats, restaurants, health clubs and other necessities of the wealthy and indolent city dweller. IT perhaps fails to make the most of its prime riverside setting. The triangular cap to the tower is distinctive, but perhaps unintegrated - and looks like a cheap cut-down version of Canary Wharf (though possibly the intended reference was to the Houses of Parliament.) The barge is being towed empty upstream to the solid waste transfer station just above Wandsworth bridge.
Albert Bridge River Thames
Albert Bridge
A curiously designed bridge of a hybrid type; part suspension and part cantilever whose towers visually resemble the poles of a grand circus marquee rather than a bridge. Built in 1873 to the design of R M Ordish, it was given an overhaul by Bazalgette ten years later and has been strengthened in the 1970's. Notices sternly warn regiments of troops crossing to break their step, presumably out of fear that resonance of the structure with their marching feet may lead to damage to the structure.
Chelsea Bridge and Battersea Power Station River Thames
Chelsea Bridge
This suspension bridge, built in 1934 to replace an earlier structure was designed by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton, and its 'Egyptian' looking pylon and lamps are typical of this period. Through it is seen the well-known outline of Sir Giles Scott's greatest cathedral, Battersea Power Station, opened in 1937. To the left are the cranes which unloaded the coal for its furnaces from the vessels moored at the jetty. Because of it's city centre location the waste gases were 'scrubbed' to curt down sulphurous emissions. After closure it was gutted with the intent of developing it as a theme park tourist attraction; this scheme failed leaving the building in its current derelict roofless state.
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©Peter Marshall 1997

These pictures are part of a large collection taken since 1980 by Peter Marshall.
Please email him if you would like to make use of them in any way or buy copies.
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