A brand-new riverside space in the heart of London has been formally opened by the Lord Mayor of Westminster. 

The new ‘micro park’, named Tyburn Quay after one of the local Lost Rivers, was built out into the Thames to house part of the super sewer infrastructure below ground.  

At almost 1,000m2 and situated opposite the London Eye along Victoria Embankment in Westminster, the new publicly-accessible space is furnished with permanent artwork, a range of seating, new vistas of the iconic skyline and an intertidal terrace, allowing Londoners to dip their feet into the newly-clean Thames. 

Matt Parr, Tideway’s Deputy CEO, said: “After nine years of work, in which we’ve dug down more than 50 metres, it’s a hugely proud moment to see the vital infrastructure below capped with a beautiful public space such as this. 

“Londoners will be able to enjoy never-before-seen views of the iconic central-London skyline – as well as the fantastic new artwork from Richard Wentworth – all while the super sewer beneath their feet continues its work of protecting the Thames from sewage pollution. 

“I’d like to offer a huge ‘thank you’ to the many hundreds of people who have worked on this site over the years, and pay tribute to their role in improving this great city.” 

Matt joined with the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, and other key stakeholders for a formal opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tyburn Quay on Thursday (Oct 23rd).  

The Lord Mayor of Westminster Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg said: "It is a pleasure to officially open Tyburn Quay, a fantastic new spot on the Thames that matches clever engineering with creative design. 

“This new space offers Londoners and visitors an alternative way to enjoy some of the best views of our brilliant city. 

 "I’d like to thank to everyone involved in the project over the years for their hard work to make this engineering masterpiece a reality." 

Tyburn Quay features specially-commissioned permanent artwork from Richard Wentworth, which takes the form of bronze-cast sandbags that act as informal seating and create opportunities for gathering.  

The works, from Richard Wentworth, were inspired by London and its ‘secret nature’ – with a close visual reading of oft-overlooked objects such as post-boxes, railings, CCTV masts and wing mirrors. 

They create subtle, humorous interventions that represent the everyday – but take on a range of meaning and uses in the context of Tyburn Quay. 

While the site itself is dominated by right angles and granite, the sandbags – which were cast from real-world, sand-filled examples – disrupt this formality. 

Artist Richard Wentworth said: “On the quiet, London gets crafted, abraded, composted and digested. The very same metropolis which gave the word ‘metro’ to the world. 

“We come, we go, us humans. We watch ourselves, tidally disorganised. 

“Without the fingertip intelligence of Lockbund Foundry, my skeuomorphic contribution to this foreshore could never have been executed. 

“Thank you to all concerned.” 

Tyburn Quay is one of seven new riverside public space created as part of the Tideway project, and is the fifth to be opened to the public.  

A worksite was required here to enable the project team to divert the Regent Street CSO, which typically discharged 22,000 tonnes of storm sewage into the Thames annually, as well as the Low Level 1 sewer, into the new super sewer.  

This work, combined with the work at almost two dozen other sites, contributes to a reduction in sewage spills into the Thames in London of 95%, creating a healthier, greener environment for wildlife and river users for generations to come.