Greenwich foot tunnel

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel crosses beneath the River Thames in East London.

The southern entrance is by the Cutty Sark in Greenwich (Royal Borough of Greenwich), with the northern entrance located at Island Gardens, a park at the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs (London Borough of Tower Hamlets).

Approximately 4,000 people use the tunnel (open 24/7) each day. It opened in 1902.

Design and construction The tunnel was designed by civil engineer Sir Alexander Binnie for London County Council and constructed by contractor John Cochrane & Co. The project was authorised by the (60 & 61 Vict. c. ccxxiv).

Construction started in June 1899 and the tunnel opened on 4 August 1902. The tunnel replaced an expensive and sometimes unreliable ferry service allowing workers living south of the Thames to reach their workplaces in the London docks and shipyards in the Isle of Dogs area of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar.

The cast-iron tunnel is long, deep and has an internal diameter of about . The northern end was damaged by bombs during the Second World War and repairs included a thick steel and concrete inner lining, that narrows the available space for a few meters within the tunnel. The northern shaft staircase has 87 steps; the southern one has 100.

Upgrade and repair works The tunnel has been the subject of frequent repair work, including in 2009, 2012, with further repair work being planned for 2026.

The lifts were out of action for a long period in 2021–22 which Greenwich Council attributed to an international supply chain problem affecting the supply of spare parts.

Location The tunnel links Greenwich town centre on the south bank of the Thames. Its entrance is close to the prow of the restored clipper Cutty Sark. with parts of Docklands including Canary Wharf on the north bank. The tunnel's northern entrance is within Island Gardens, a park on the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs, with views across the river to the former Greenwich Hospital, the Queen's House and the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

Coordinates Greenwich entrance: Tower Hamlets entrance:

Usage

A notice at the tunnel entrance states that the tunnel is private property (the Royal Borough of Greenwich manages the Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels on joint behalf of two other partners, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the London Borough of Newham) and not a public right of way. Ordnance Survey maps do not show a right of way on the route of the tunnel. A National Trail, the Thames Path, uses the tunnel to rejoin the southbound part of the path.

The 'Friends of Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels' (FOGWOFT) was established in September 2013. Following encouragement from FOGWOFT and information from the Institution of Civil Engineers, on 5 July 2016 an interpretative plaque was unveiled near the tunnel's Greenwich entrance by the deputy leader of Greenwich council.

With a continuing impasse in updating the bylaws, FOGWOFT disbanded in March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021.

Cycling Local bylaws require cyclists to dismount and push their bikes through the tunnel, although plans to remove this requirement have been considered. The shared spaces trial was supported by Greenwich council but Tower Hamlets refused permission to update the bylaws and the while some cyclists do ride in the tunnel, cycling is still not permitted.

The tunnel is also part of the UK's National Cycle Route 1 linking Inverness and Dover.

Gallery

Greenwich foot tunnel

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