View source for Northern Outfall Sewer

{{Short description|Sewer in London}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}

[[Image:Northern Outfall Sewer under construction.jpg|thumb|right|The Northern Outfall Sewer Under Construction]]
[[Image:Northern Outfall Sewer (Greenway) over Manor Road A1011.jpg|thumb|right|Northern Outfall Sewer (Greenway) over Manor Road A1011]]

The '''Northern Outfall Sewer''' (NOS) is a major [[gravity sewer]] which runs from Wick Lane in [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]] to the [[Beckton Sewage Treatment Works]] in east London. Most of it was designed by [[Joseph Bazalgette]], as a result of an outbreak of [[cholera]] in 1853 and the "[[Great Stink]]" of 1858.

Prior to the work, drains in central London were built primarily to cope with rain water, but the growing use of [[flush toilet]]s frequently meant that they became overloaded, causing sewage and industrial effluent to flow into the [[River Thames]]. Bazalgette's [[London sewerage system]] project included the construction of intercepting [[sanitary sewer|sewers]] north and south of the Thames. The [[Southern Outfall Sewer]] network diverts flows away from the Thames south of the river.

In total, five interceptor sewers were constructed north of the Thames. Three were built by Bazalgette, and two were added 30 years later:
*The northernmost (Northern High Level Sewer) begins on [[Hampstead]] Hill and is routed past [[Kentish Town]] and [[Stoke Newington]] and under [[Victoria Park, East London|Victoria Park]] to the start of the Northern Outfall Sewer at Wick Lane.
*Two middle level sewers serve parts of central London and also join the Northern Outfall Sewer at Wick Lane:
**One begins close to [[Kilburn, London|Kilburn]] and runs along Edgware Road, [[Euston Road]] and past King's Cross, through [[Islington]] to Wick Lane.
**The other runs from [[Kensal Green]], under [[Bayswater]] and along [[Oxford Street]], then via [[Clerkenwell]] and [[Bethnal Green]] to Wick Lane.
*Two low-level sewers stretch from west London:
**One starts from near [[Ravenscourt Park]], passes under [[Hammersmith]] and [[Kensington]], [[Piccadilly]], the [[Strand, London|Strand]], [[Aldwych]], the City and [[Aldgate]] to Abbey Mills Sewage Pumping Station.
**The second begins in Hammersmith, crosses under [[Fulham]] and then runs along the [[King's Road]] and [[Cheyne Walk]] from where it becomes an integral part of the [[Thames Embankment]]. Western Sewage Pumping Station near [[Chelsea Bridge]] helps maintain the necessary gravity flow, taking sewage on along [[Millbank]], the [[Victoria Embankment]] and [[Tower Hill]], then north-east under [[Whitechapel]], [[Stepney]] and [[Bow, London|Bow]] to Abbey Mills.<ref>Trench, R. and Hillman, E. (1984) ''London under London: A Subterranean Guide'' (London: John Murray), pp. 72–75.</ref>

The flows from the two low-level sewers are raised by some {{convert|40|ft|m|0}} into the Northern Outfall Sewer at [[Abbey Mills Pumping Station]], to join the flows from the High and Middle Level sewers.

The remaining sections of the NOS carry the sewage from Abbey Mills to the treatment plant at Beckton. The creation of the NOS was a massive undertaking, and involved the construction of huge embankments and several bridges.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:The Greenway East London.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Greenway]] -->
Today, the eastern end of the Northern Outfall Sewer, running some {{convert|4+1/2|mi|km|0}} from Wick Lane to Beckton, has been landscaped to form a public footpath/cycleway called [[Greenway, London|The Greenway]], with access points along its length.

==See also==
* [[Crossness Pumping Station]]
* [[Southern Outfall Sewer]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/conMediaFile.7255/The-pipes-of-the-Northern-Outfall-Sewer.html A website showing some of the pipework]

{{Water supply and sanitation in London}}

{{Thames Water}}

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[[Category:London water infrastructure]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:Subterranean London]]
[[Category:Thames Water]]