Ridgeway (London)

The Ridgeway at Plumstead

The Ridgeway is a permissible pathway owned by Thames Water in southeast London. It is built on an embankment that covers the Southern Outfall Sewer designed by Joseph Bazalgette after an outbreak of cholera in 1853 and the "Great Stink" of 1858. It is similar to the Greenway in east London that covers the Northern Outfall Sewer.

In total the pathway is 3.5 miles in length.^[1][2] The western third between Plumstead railway station and The Link community centre in Thamesmead^[3] is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Borough of Greenwich; the remainder of the path towards the River Thames path and Crossness Sewage Treatment Works is under the jurisdiction of the London Borough of Bexley.

The Greenwich side of the Ridgeway was refurbished in 2010 ^[4][5] and the Bexley side of the Ridgeway was refurbished in 2017.^[6][7][8]

The Ridgeway was the subject of a radio show on Resonance FM in 2011.^[9][10]

The Thames Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) for Crossrail, Sophia and Mary^[11] were launched from railway land adjacent to the western end of the Ridgeway between Abbey Wood and Woolwich Crossrail stations. They were used to create the tunnel between the two Elizabeth Line stations and construct the 2.9km long Crossrail Thames Tunnel between Plumstead portal and North Woolwich portal.^[12]

Start and end points

• 51°29′24.3″N 0°05′10.0″E / 51.490083°N 0.086111°E / 51.490083; 0.086111 The route's western start point
• 51°30′36.0″N 0°08′14.0″E / 51.510000°N 0.137222°E / 51.510000; 0.137222 The route's eastern end point

Future Developments

There is an option to extend the new heritage railway planned for South London^[13] from Crossness car park to Plumstead railway station via the Ridgeway.^[14]

At the western end of the Ridgeway, the housing association Peabody have applied to build 930 homes adjacent to Plumstead bus garage.^[15][16] Improvements to existing public spaces around the development will include improvements to pathways that pass the Ridgeway.

Crossrail have proposed the development of a maintenance depot and train sidings on railway land adjacent to the western end of the Ridgeway.^[17][18][19]

At the eastern end of the Ridgeway, proposals have been put forward by Peabody to reopen the Lakeside Centre^[20] adjacent to the Ridgeway as a new cultural hub, with space for 40 new affordable creative workspaces, a community kitchen and cafe overlooking Southmere lake in Thamesmead.^[21][22][23]

A petition was created by local users of the Ridgeway for litter bins to be installed along its entire length^[24][25][26].

See also

• Greenway (landscape)
• Linear Park
• Trail
• Walking in London

References