Albert Embankment Foreshore

These two new public spaces offer stunning new views of the river, with Parliament and the London Eye visible downstream, and Battersea Power upstream.  They are among the largest of the riverside spaces created by the Tideway project. 

The spaces get their name from the fact that one of the two Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) that connect to the main tunnel at this site was previously the River Effra. The Effra was one of London’s ‘lost’ rivers, Thames tributaries which became so polluted they were put in underground pipes to form part of London’s first sewerage system. This is referenced in the paving on the Isle of Effra and one of the poems on Effra Quay’s ventilation columns - these poems are part of a series, Hidden Rivers, Hidden Times by Dorothea Smartt, which reveal human stories relating to the lost rivers.

The spaces are designed to give people greater connection with the River Thames. Effra Quay’s timber benches face the river, allowing people to enjoy the panoramic views, and high-quality granite paving is graduated in colour to reflect the design concept of an elevated beach, including zinc clad ‘beach huts’ which house some of the electrical and mechanical equipment. There is level access to the new space, varied seating provided to cater for different needs, including space provision at the end of benches to allow wheelchair users to sit alongside.

The spaces also include intertidal terracing, planted with species indigenous to the Thames, which will have a positive ecological impact on plants, invertebrates, fish and birds. Fast flowing currents in this part of the river have created challenging conditions for the establishment of planting on lower terraces (although unvegetated gravels and silt substrate still provides habitat for microorganisms) but upper terrace planting has established well. Data shared with the Thames Estuary Partnership’s ‘Estuary Edges’ initiative will improve the guidance offered to others seeking to improve biodiversity along the River Thames.

The new space has also extended the Thames Path, reopening a continuous route previously accessible to pedestrians. The path has been widened in areas, levels have been amended to be accessible, and the path also benefits from new signage and wayfinding, trees and seating.

Located across Effra Quay will be artwork by Richard Wentworth – see panel below.