Open Spaces Walk no. 5
By Clare Graham, Chair, Open Spaces Committee
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Walk no. 5: Thames Path East
Route description: A short and scenic walk from Vauxhall Bridge to Battersea Park, past the American Embassy and Battersea Power Station. Great views of the river, plus the opportunity to explore various recently-created open spaces beside it. Finish at Battersea Park's lakeside café.
Start point: The Isle of Effra, Albert Embankment, SE11 5AW.
Finish point: The Pear Tree Lakeside Café, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ.
Route length and map: 3.1 km/ 1.9 miles.
Facilities: Refreshments and toilets are available at the Power Station and elsewhere along the route, as well as at the Pear Tree Lakeside Café at the end of the walk
Accessibility: The majority of this walk is along the Thames Path National Trail which is level, accessible and popular with both pedestrians and cyclists. There are no busy roads to cross though the Path currently diverts away from the river and onto Nine Elms Lane at one point. At the end, expect a gentle ascent and descent as you follow paths within Battersea Park.
Public transport links: The walk starts near Vauxhall mainline station (served by trains from Clapham Junction), Underground station (Victoria Line) station and bus station (served by the 77, 87, 156 and 344 from Battersea). At the end of the walk, the Pear Tree Café is a few minutes' walk from Battersea Park Chelsea Gate bus stop, served by the 44, 137, 211 and 452, and from Battersea Park station (for mainline trains) and Battersea Power Station Underground station (Northern Line). There are also Uber Boat piers at Vauxhall and Battersea Power Station.
Start Point: The Isle of Effra
The walk starts on Lambeth's Albert Embankment behind MI6's HQ (1994, Terry Farrell), featured in the more recent James Bond films. Here beside Vauxhall Bridge and the Thames Path is the Isle of Effra, a circular open space built above the river's foreshore. Together with its downstream neighbour Effra Quay this was created as part of London's Thames Tideway (Super Sewer) project. Step onto it to enjoy views downstream to the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. Upstream it offers a close-up of Vauxhall Bridge itself: built in 1895-1906 (by Sir Alexander Binnie, for the London County Council), this was enlivened relatively late in its design process by two sets of giant allegorical sculptures. F.W. Pomeroy's face upstream, Alfred Drury's downstream; his Science stands beside you. Through the arch to its left Battersea Power Station's four chimneys can be glimpsed. Before you head off towards those, take a look at the new terraces of intertidal planting which surround both the Isle of Effra and the piers of Vauxhall Bridge itself. Again, these were provided within the Thames Tideway project; it's a commendable attempt at beginning to restore biodiversity to this embanked and fast-flowing section of river, with its otherwise barren foreshore.
Vauxhall Bridge and Pier
Return to the Thames Path and use the nearby subway to head upstream underneath Vauxhall Bridge. Beyond that is the St George Wharf development (2001-12, Broadway Malyan) and Uber Boat Pier. The view of Battersea Power Station is opening up ahead, but at this point you are still in Lambeth. The boundary with Battersea lies just beyond the tall round Tower at the far end of St George Wharf, where the buried River Heathwall (featured within Walk 2) formerly joined the Thames.
Riverside Gardens
Beyond the boundary, the Thames Path swells out to form Riverside Gardens (2017), the first of three small developer-funded parks along this stretch. Whatever one makes of the scale of recent riverside redevelopment in Nine Elms, without it there would be no Thames Path. Until the 1980s there was no public access to much of Battersea's riverside; it had become an industrial area, with sites built right up beside and even into the river so that they could be serviced by steam or later diesel barges. (Only upstream of Putney Bridge were there horse-drawn barges, and a towpath.) As industry gave way to luxury housing, planners seized the opportunity to create this new riverside route, to be funded by the incoming developers. The main feature of this little park is Tord Boontje's Dawn to Dusk, an installation inspired by celebrated local painter J.M.W. Turner. Swivel the seating to follow the sun, or simply take in the view.
Bourne Valley Wharf and the US Embassy
Look out next for this engraved pavement sign for Bourne Valley Wharf, once a good drawing dock and landing wharf. It's now a second small developers' park opposite the new American Embassy. You might like to detour across Nine Elms Lane here, for a walk through its beautiful gardens (also visited on Walk 2). However currently this involves traversing a political protesters' encampment which occupies most of the Wharf space as well as its colourful little community Pavilion (2018, Studio Weave and Linda Florence).
Heathwall Pumping Station and Quay
Beyond Bourne Valley Wharf the riverside walk passes behind Elm Quay Court, whose rear wall has a low-relief sculpture of Father Thames (Stephen Duncan, 1988). Beyond this lies a third and final developers' park, on the site of Prescot Wharf. At the far end of this, follow a new (2025) section of Thames Path past old Middle Wharf and behind Heathwall Pumping Station to visit Heathwall Quay, another new viewing platform built out over the river as part of the Thames Tideway project. Like the Isle of Effra at the start of this walk, it offers great views both up and down stream.
Riverlight Quay and Tideway Village
Beyond Heathwall Quay lies Riverlight Quay (RSHP, 2009-16), whose six colour-coded blocks stand amidst lush landscaping. This has cafés, restaurants and a pub at ground level, should you fancy a break. On the river itself is Tideway Village, an older colony of houseboats occupying former industrial moorings. Near the entrance is the Battersea Barge, an old Dutch grain barge first towed here in 1985, now a well-established entertainment venue. Beyond it lies a small inlet dock, originally built to accommodate coal barges supplying Nine Elms Gasworks nearby. That now houses three more historic vessels, whose floating gardens provide a picturesque contrast to the geometrical lines of the modern development.
Nine Elms Pier
Carry on upstream, along Tideway Walk. To your right now is Nine Elms Pier, a very substantial concrete structure built as a coaling jetty in the late 1940s, again for the Nine Elms Gasworks.That became redundant in 1970 as North Sea gas replaced coal gas and again, houseboats then began to move in. Since 1992 it's been run by the Nine Elms Pier Company as a residents' co-operative. There are moorings for some twenty boats, and on the pier itself a small swimming pool and a larger community garden—complete with this life-size model horse.
Thames Path Diversion: follow the signs
Beyond Nine Elms Pier, a grey-painted wall blocks off your route beside the river. Sadly, this gap in Battersea's Thames Path seems unlikely to be filled in any time soon. Beyond the wall lie two protected riverside industrial facilities, and while Thames Tideway's Kirtling Street site is currently being rebuilt, Cringle Dock Waste Transfer Station remains an impenetrable barrier. Plans to rebuild it underground with housing and a continuation of the Thames Path on top do exist, but are not yet in development. So turn left next along the wall and out onto Kirtling Street. Here a sequence of these Thames Path diversion signs currently direct pedestrians left onto Cringle Street, right onto Nine Elms Lane again (with New Covent Garden Market visible on the far side) and then right down Pump House Lane. This route is subject to change, given the ongoing construction works throughout this area; these diversion signs should, however, be kept up to date.
Battersea Power Station
Pump House Lane leads down to Battersea Power Station (Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 1929-51; Wilkinson Eyre, 2013-22). To its left, the white building with a rippled facade forms one half of Prospect Place (Gehry Partners, 2022). This white metal sculpture (2022, WEA Architects) on a roundabout is intended to suggest the smoke flumes which once rose from the Power Station's chimneys. Turn right when you reach this, to walk alongside the Power Station. Prairie-style plantings set its immaculately restored brickwork off to advantage.
Riverside Park and Thames Path
Around the next corner is the Thames, and the Power Station’s riverside entrance. Inside, its two massive Turbine Halls are impressive to see and offer many shops and restaurants —as well as the first public toilets on this route. Otherwise, walk through this new Riverside Park to find its old Coaling Jetty; both often host special events and installations. Then pick up the Thames Path again, following that upstream past more attractive plantings, fountains and various riverside restaurants and cafés.
Into Battersea Park
Carry on through the wide viaduct under Grosvenor Bridge (1859-60, Sir John Fowler; widened 1865-6 by Sir Charles Fox) and on to Chelsea Bridge (1937, G. Topham Forest and E.P. Wheeler). Underneath that a curving footbridge (2004) leads you straight into Battersea Park. On its far side leave the Thames Path, following the first path on the left uphill. At the top this park map stand will be visible on the far side of Carriage Drive North. Cross over and take the tarmacked path to its right, leading back downhill.
End Point: The Pear Tree Café, Battersea Park
This path meanders pleasantly through trees past the Park's tennis courts and Millenium Arena on the right, and then a pirate-themed playground on the left. Beyond that is Carriage Drive East, with the back of the Pear Tree Café opposite you, on its far side. Walk round that to find its entrance and its big terrace overlooking the Park's Boating Lake. This has plenty of outside seating and is a great place for an end stop on a fine day. Dogs are welcome both here and inside the café.