A Victorian water cascade inside Battersea Park that has been dry since the 1980s could be about to be switched on again.
1905 colourised postcard based on 1899 b&w photograph
The water cascade was added next to the boating lake in 1865 just after the park had been completed, and was novel for using a newly invented form of artificial rock that was so convincing that even geologists were known to be fooled by it.
This Pulhamite Rock was invented by the landscape gardener and terracotta manufacturer James Pulham for use in their landscape gardens. The recipe was never revealed and was taken to the grave when James died in 1898. Modern analysis of surviving original Pulhamite have shown it to be a blend of sand, Portland cement and clinker sculpted over a core of rubble and crushed bricks.
Used in several parks across England, a few examples survive in London, including the Pulhamite Rockery and Cascades next to Battersea Park’s boating lake.
The aim was to recreate a waterfall cascading down a rocky landscape.
Much loved in the early years, the water pumps that powered the waterfall were switched off sometime between the two World Wars, possibly as an economic measure during the Great Depression. When the rocky cascades were switched on again after WWII, they had suffered from wear and damage. Eventually, the water pumps were switched off in the 1980s, leaving them more rock desert than rocky waterfall.
The cascades today (c) Wandsworth Council
Now, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded development funding of £654,757 to Wandsworth Council to cover the cost of investigating how much it would cost for a full repair and restoration of the cascades. The grant will provide valuable resources for preventing further degradation by completing the investigations, trials and designs needed to restore and future-proof the waterfalls for future generations.
It’s expected that a full repair would cost around £2.7 million, which could be applied for in a second Lottery grant, and there may be some ringfenced funding available from previous park events to contribute to the cost.
The council has also been working with the Friends of Battersea Park on the project, which, in addition to the physical repairs, will engage local park users and groups in discussions about the park’s history.
This article was published on ianVisits
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The post Battersea Park’s historic Victorian waterfall may flow again after decades of silence first appeared on London.
Author : london
Publish date : 2024-08-30 10:24:28
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