SITE DETAILS

Fuller information:

These small areas of landscaping to the east and west of Chelsea Bridge were created after the Thames was embanked by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1874. Embankment of the river was first proposed in 1839 by the Commissioners of Woods and Forests to provide a much-needed new road as well as extra sewerage, but work did not begin until the 1850s along the Pimlico frontage. Lack of funding halted the scheme until 1871 when William Webster was appointed as contractor under the supervision of Bazalgette, Chief Engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works, which had been set up in 1855. The work was completed as far as Battersea Bridge by 1874. Either side of the bridge is a railed area between the road and riverside that is densely planted with shrubbery and trees, that on the west side of the bridge falls within the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. On the east side a small platform with a single bench was reinstated as an area for public enjoyment in 2006 by St James Group in conjunction with the neighbouring Grosvenor Waterside Development. The planted area that it overlooks, renamed Meadowbank Area (SMI) according to a plaque on the site, remains locked although public access 'may be granted for the purpose of nature conservation study or fishing'.

Sources consulted:

Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 6: Westminster', (Yale University Press, 2003)

Grid ref:	TQ285779
Size in hectares:	0.143
On EH National Register :	No
EH grade :
Site on EH Heritage at Risk list:
Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:	No
Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:	No
The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
On Local List:
In Conservation Area:	No
Conservation Area name:
Tree Preservation Order:	No
Nature Conservation Area:
Green Belt:	No
Metropolitan Open Land:	No
Special Policy Area:	Yes - Thames Policy Area
Other LA designation: