Description
This small landscaped area on the east side of Chelsea Bridge between Grosvenor Road and the river was formed soon after the embanking of the river by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1869-74. Chelsea Embankment was officially opened in May 1874 by Lieutenant Col Sir James MacNaughton Hogg, Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works. A second landscaped area on the west side of the bridge falls within the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Both are overgrown with trees and shrubbery and largely inaccessible to the public, although a small railed area overlooking the river was reinstated for public enjoyment in 2006.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Meadowbank |
|---|---|
| Site location | Grosvenor Road |
| Postcode | SW1 |
| What3Words | ///output.barn.cycle |
| Type of Site | Private Open Land |
| Borough | Westminster |
| Open to Public | Partially |
| Opening Times | A small area to east of bridge is accessible, remainder only accessible subject to permission from keyholder |
| Public Transport | Rail: Victoria. Tube: Victoria (Victoria, District, Circle) |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
These small areas of landscaping to the east and west of Chelsea Bridge were created after the Thames was embanked by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1874. Embankment of the river was first proposed in 1839 by the Commissioners of Woods and Forests to provide a much-needed new road as well as extra sewerage, but work did not begin until the 1850s along the Pimlico frontage. Lack of funding halted the scheme until 1871 when William Webster was appointed as contractor under the supervision of Bazalgette, Chief Engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works, which had been set up in 1855. The work was completed as far as Battersea Bridge by 1874. Either side of the bridge is a railed area between the road and riverside that is densely planted with shrubbery and trees, that on the west side of the bridge falls within the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. On the east side a small platform with a single bench was reinstated as an area for public enjoyment in 2006 by St James Group in conjunction with the neighbouring Grosvenor Waterside Development. The planted area that it overlooks, renamed Meadowbank Area (SMI) according to a plaque on the site, remains locked although public access 'may be granted for the purpose of nature conservation study or fishing'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ285779 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.143 |
| Site Ownership | Grosvenor Waterside Development |
| Site Management | Grosvenor Waterside Development |
| Dates | 1874 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Westminster |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Policy Area |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
This small landscaped area on the west side of Chelsea Bridge between Chelsea Embankment and the river was formed soon after the embanking of the river by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1869-74. Chelsea Embankment was officially opened in May 1874 by Lieutenant Col Sir James MacNaughton Hogg, Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works. A second landscaped area on the east side of the bridge falls within the borough of Westminster. Both are overgrown with trees and shrubbery and largely inaccessible to the public.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Royal Hospital was founded in 1682 as an almshouse for army veterans. The site was selected by Christopher Wren, the King's Surveyor-General of Works, and paid for by Sir Stephen Fox, former Paymaster-General. The hospital land was added to under James II but in the reign of William III almost a third was made over to the Earl of Ranelagh. Part of his estate became famous pleasure gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, but later bought back by the Hospital's Board of Commissioners. Wren's formal gardens to the river were lost when the Thames was embanked between 1850-68. Ranelagh Gardens was laid out as a public park by John Gibson in 1860. In 1846 Royal Hospital Road was constructed, cutting off Burton's Court from the main site, whose northern boundary of St Leonard's Terrace has the main entrance gates to the Hospital approached by Royal Avenue, originally laid out to communicate with what was then the King's private road. South Ground is sports facilities managed by the local authority, and has been the location for the Chelsea Flower Show.
The Royal Hospital was founded in 1682 as an almshouse for army veterans. The site was selected by Christopher Wren, the King's Surveyor-General of Works, and paid for by Sir Stephen Fox, former Paymaster-General. The hospital land was added to under James II but in the reign of William III almost a third was made over to the Earl of Ranelagh. Part of his estate became famous pleasure gardens, Ranelagh Gardens, but later bought back by the Hospital's Board of Commissioners. Wren's formal gardens to the river were lost when the Thames was embanked between 1850-68. Ranelagh Gardens was laid out as a public park by John Gibson in 1860. In 1846 Royal Hospital Road was constructed, cutting off Burton's Court from the main site, whose northern boundary of St Leonard's Terrace has the main entrance gates to the Hospital approached by Royal Avenue, originally laid out to communicate with what was then the King's private road. South Ground is sports facilities managed by the local authority, and has been the location for the Chelsea Flower Show.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Cemetery within the grounds of the Royal Hospital that served the pensioners residing there. It accommodated some 10,000 burials between its consecration in 1691 and closure in 1854/5 since pensioners were not normally given a headstone and the ground was re-used. There are some fine monuments including a number from the C18th.
Cemetery within the grounds of the Royal Hospital that served the pensioners residing there. It accommodated some 10,000 burials between its consecration in 1691 and closure in 1854/5 since pensioners were not normally given a headstone and the ground was re-used. There are some fine monuments including a number from the C18th.