Former Crossness Pumping Station is a Grade I listed building in the Bexley local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 June 1970. A Opened 4 April 1865 Industrial. 7 related planning applications.

Former Crossness Pumping Station

WRENN ID
hushed-courtyard-sparrow
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Bexley
Constituency
Erith and Thamesmead MP: Ms Abena Oppong-Asare (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 June 1970
Type
Industrial
Address
Former Crossness Pumping Station, Beam Engine House, Crossness Sewage Treatment Works, Bazalgette Way, SE2 9AQ
OS grid reference
TQ 484 810
Coordinates
51.50914, 0.13845
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Former Crossness Pumping Station, specifically the Beam Engine House, is a Grade I listed building opened on 4 April 1865, designed by engineer Joseph Bazalgette. This two-storey structure is built of yellow brick and features a façade with three bays divided by pilasters. The windows are designed in a simple Romanesque style, each with three round-headed lights. A machicolated cornice runs between the pilasters, with an additional cornice above, and the building is topped with a capped parapet.

At right angles to the main block, there are three one-storey parallel gabled ranges. The gable ends feature black round arches that contain three-light windows, each with a round head. Additionally, there is a circular window in the tympanum of the side elevation, accompanied by a series of joined round-headed windows.

Inside, the building showcases significant cast iron architectural details and houses four colossal beam engines manufactured by James Watt and Co.

Local climate

Former Crossness Pumping Station sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 98% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 29 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 68% of listed buildings. Of these, 12 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 7 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Workshop to South West of former Crossness Pumping Station Grade II 74 m
  2. Workshop to South East of former Crossness Pumping Station Grade II 74 m
  3. Jetty Number 4 and Approach, Formerly at Samuel Williams and Company, Dagenham Dock Grade II 726 m
  4. Ruins of Lesnes Abbey Grade II 2.4 km
  5. Delight Sculpture in Abbey Wood Park Grade II 2.7 km
  6. Parish Church of All Saints Grade II 2.9 km
  7. Bexley College (Former Erith Technical Institute) Including Attached Walls Railings and Gatepiers Grade II 3.0 km
  8. Admiral Vernon public house, including freestanding signpost, garage and rear wall Grade II 3.1 km
  9. Parish Church of St John the Baptish Grade II* 3.3 km
  10. First World War Memorial at St John the Baptist Church, Erith Grade II 3.3 km