Walton Wharf
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In the 17th Century the amount of river traffic created the need for a wharf at Walton and this remained a place of great activity for hundreds of years. Goods arrived by barge towed by gangs of men or horses.
Today the wharf is still used for the ferry to Hampton Court and is a lovely spot to check out the many swans, and to visit either the Swan or Anglers Pubs. |
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In the 17th Century the amount of river traffic created the need for a wharf at Walton and this remained a place of great activity for hundreds of years. Goods arrived by barge towed by gangs of men or horses.
The Walton Gas Works built in the late 19th Century between Annett Road and Manor Road received all its coal supplies via the Wharf. The adjacent public drawdock was traditionally used for watering livestock. There are historical eye-witness accounts early this century of elephants being taken down there from the travelling circuses based at Cowey Sale. Should any boat be damaged by the animals, the boatmen were not entitled to any compensation! Lack of water depth to tow the laden barges became a problem in the early 19th Century and in 1812 Sunbury Lock was constructed, one of a serious of pound locks along the Thames. Steam power was introduced to the Thames in the mid 19th Century. In 1895 a man was convicted of dangerous navigation with his steam launch at Walton. The towing path on the Surrey side of the Thames is part of a National Trail in Elmbridge. The path begins at the source of the River Thames near Kemble in Gloucester and runs for 190 miles into the City of London, ending at the Thames Barrier in Woolwich. Two pubs have existed for many years at the Wharf. The Swan Hotel has a very interesting history of its own. 
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The Anglers Pub - then and now
Photo taken at a riverside wharf in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Fuel for the plant operated by the Metropolitan Water Board is unloaded from barges by an electric transporter crane. This crane has a capacity of 2 tons and the radius of its jib is 44 ft 6-in.
Taken from: http://wondersofworldengineering.com/water_london.html |