Subterranean rivers of London

Summary

The subterranean or underground rivers of London are or were the direct or indirect tributaries of the upper estuary of the Thames (the Tideway) that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of London. They now flow through culverts,[2] with some of them integral parts of London's sewerage system and diverted accordingly.[3]

A sketch map of some lost rivers
"London Before the Houses", map of pre-urban London from 1884.[1]
The position of a mouth of the Effra in the 13th century.

North of the Thames edit

From west to east - sub-tributaries are shown indented

 
The culverted mouth of the Earl's Sluice at Deptford Wharf

South of the Thames edit

From west to east - sub-tributaries are shown indented

Development edit

In June 2008, the office of Mayor of London published outline plans to reinstate some underground rivers.[7] In January 2009, a partnership among the Environment Agency, Natural England, The River Restoration Centre, and the Greater London Authority set out a strategy for putting this into effect by creating the London Rivers Action Plan.[8][9]

See also edit

 
The Moselle on the surface flows through Tottenham Cemetery on its way to the Lea.

References edit

  1. ^ Loftie, William John (1884). A History of London (2nd ed.). London: Edward Stanford.
  2. ^ Nicholas Barton, The Lost Rivers of London, Historical Publications, ISBN 0-948667-15-X
  3. ^ Humphreys, Sir George W. (November 1930). Main Drainage of London (PDF). London: London County Council. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Bentley, David (1984). "A recently identified valley in the City" (PDF). London Archaeologist. 05 (1): 13–16. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b London's Lost Rivers (2011) Paul Talling, Random House, pp148-150 ISBN 9781847945976
  6. ^ "The Lost River Of London You've Never Heard Of: The Heathwall". Londonist.
  7. ^ "Boris Johnson to revive London's lost rivers". Times Online. London, UK. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008.
  8. ^ "Environment Agency plans for river restoration". Environment-agency.gov.uk. UK. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  9. ^ "London Rivers Action Plan". The River Restoration Centre. UK. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2010.

Further reading edit

  • Dangerfield, Andy (4 October 2015). "The lost rivers that lie beneath London". BBC News. London, UK.
  • "The Underground City: Beneath the streets of London's capital city is a world of tunnels, rivers and hidden history". Heritage Magazine. April–May 2000. Archived from the original on 10 December 2002. Retrieved 10 December 2002.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links edit

  • "Deep Topographical site with special emphasis on London's lost watercourses". Middlexex County Council. Middlesex County, UK.
  • Mackie, Gordon (January 2004). "London's Lost Rivers: Wayback Machine Snapshot". Archived from the original on 7 January 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  • "Map of London's Underground Rivers". OpenGuides.org. London, UK.
  • "Photographs from inside London's 'Lost' Rivers". SilentUK.com.
  • "Strange Maps". London's Lost Rivers.