The Victoria Embankment is a road and river-walk on the north bank of the River Thames in London, formed from land reclaimed during the construction of Joseph Bazalgette's sewerage system in the late 19th century. From 1864 a sequence of public gardens called the Victoria Embankment Gardens was created from this land. Running from north-east to south-west, these are called Temple Gardens, the Main Garden, the Whitehall Garden and finally the Ministry of Defence section; the last of these was laid out in 1939âÂÂ1959. Each of the four gardens features commemorative sculptures, and additional memorials are situated along the river walk and road, making the Embankment one of the primary sites for commemoration in London.