River Thames Tide Gauge Hut

River Thames Tide Gauge Hut.

If you were to leave Westminster Station via the Westminster Pier exit, or made your way down the north steps from Westminster Bridge, you will quite possibly have walked by this odd little green turret without giving it a moment's thought.

However, this copper turret houses some important scientific equipment, which you can see if you peer through one of the two small windows in the door.

Home of the Thames Tide Recorder instruments.

The Tide Recorder measures the depth of the River Thames at Westminster Bridge, or more accurately the mean sea level rather than the river bed, which it then sends to the Thames Barrier Control Room every fifteen minutes. This information is then published online.

Westminster City Council look after the upkeep of the exterior, while the tide reading equipment is maintained by the Environment Agency.

I have yet to discover when it was installed, but it has been in situ since the 1930's.

If anyone can find more information about its construction or when it was installed, I would be most grateful.