London's Lost Rivers

by Paul Talling

A beautifully illustrated guide to London's secret rivers From the sources of the River Fleet in Hempstead's ponds, to the mouth of the Effra by Vauxhall Bridge, via the meander of the Westbourne through "Knight's Bridge" and the Tyburn's gentle curve along Marylebone Lane, London's Lost Rivers unearths the hidden waterways that flow beneath the streets of the capital. It investigates how the rivers shaped the city—forming borough boundaries, providing paths for railways to follow, and converted into canals to assist the capital's industrial growth, or turned into underground sewers to make way for smart residential estates. It points out traces that are still visible today, such as steps descending an old riverbank in Bayswater, or a river-filled pipe passing above Sloane Square Underground Station. And it explains the watery history to more familiar London sights—the impressive Holborn Viaduct, for example, constructed to span the Fleet Valley; and the Serpentine Lake, formed when Queen Caroline wanted to dam the Westbourne where it flowed through Hyde Park.

Genres: London, History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Geography, Travel, Research

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Not to be confused with the Strange Attractor book of the same name, which provides a street-by-street walking guide; this one does have maps, but is maddeningly not-quite-pocket-size, and more suited to being read at home. It has brief histories of the buried waterways, and some good pictures of the places where their legacy can still be seen. Its real charm for me was that it doesn't just cover the usual suspects - Effra, Tyburn, Fleet et al - but some of which I'd never heard, such as the Neckinger, Cock & Pye Ditch and Earl's Sluice. And, in my own area, the Moselle and Hackney Brook - my errands this afternoon will definitely be enlivened by knowing they take me along the latter's course.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming book about a topic the author clearly cares about. Lots of lovely tidbits that really bring the short sections to life, from Victorian stink pipes to the small plaques that mark certain areas to 20 years canal mania that I had no idea about.

There’s something slightly tragic about the way almost every entry ends in the river being covered up and converted into a sewer. All these fascinating little waterways that end up polluted until they’re dead and then hidden away under concrete streets and officially converted.

Read it cover to cover for a first read, but I’m excited to read it as I go up to London and hopefully see some of the areas for myself!

[Dolf van der Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched account of all the rivers and streams that used to be in London besides the Thames. There are great pictures in here of what is still visible. The descriptions are a bit terse and lost my interest after a while, though. A book to take along when taking a walk in London off the beaten path.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into London's lost rivers and a number of historical facts on the docks

[Bex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this over the space of 24 hours - it was so very fascinating to see a rich new side of my home city. I was always aware of the lost River Fleet, but had no idea of the others - like the beautifully named Effra (apparently from the Celtic word for 'torrent'), or the more sinister Black Ditch, - or of the mind-boggling vastness of the docks (despite coming from Docklands!!). My new life quest is to find a Victorian 'stink pipe' as mentioned in the book - tall metal structures that look like lampposts without the lamp, and which were designed to carry the stench of London's sewers up above street level! Definitely recommend for the fascinating insights and the great photos!

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, mostly for the maps of where rivers used to run through London. Christopher Fowler's "The Water Room" and Deborah Crombie's Duncan and Gemma books feature bits of London found on the maps.

The historic information was interesting, but I had a great time looking at the maps and saying to myself, "Aha! So that's where they were!" Or, "There's where the Isle of Dogs is!" Okay, I'm geeky, but I'm going to keep the book handy for future reads and rereads.

[Jorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book that allows for rediscovering London's waterways!

In this book, Paul Talling gives an overview of the lost rivers and canals of London. With many photographs and maps for each river, this book thus serves as a good introduction. I took it with me on a trip to London, which certainly added an extra later to my visit of the city.

Take into account, though, that the book is rather short and many of its pages consist of photographs. For anyone who wants to deeply understand the social and hydrological contexts in which these rivers were used and forgotten, other books might prove better. Additionally, it might be harder to follow for non-Londoners, as many placenames are referees to. Still, a good and lightweight companion to take along with you!

[Carolyn Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban history has always fascinated me and this is one of the oldest and biggest urban areas on the planet. I remember one time walking down the street in our small town and Mom telling me "you hear that running water? There's a creek under there" and that blew my mind.

[Jan Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small format book with many colour pictures.

A perfect example of how online listings can be misleading.

Not a bad book in itself but very much the stocking filler type of purchase. I was expecting something with far fewer colour pictures and far more historic and geographic detail.

[Suzy Dominey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this while reading the Rivers of London series so as to understand the rivers. I now want to check them out when next in London. Great photography too.

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book about the lost waterways of London, with lots of information and photos.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deceptively well done description of the old waterways of London. Physically the book looks odd; square, white print on black, LOTS of photographs, less text than anticipated. But the text is concise and descriptive, the photos are well chosen and add those 1,000 words to the text, and the maps are very helpful. Talling also has a web site that adds to the book - but definitely read the book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowadays when we think of London rivers we mostly just think of the Thames, but there are a number of sizeable tributaries that have been culverted and built over. Some of these lost rivers were navigable and full of fish, but most ended up polluted and/or became sewers. The book is interesting and well-written and really helps you visualise what the London area was once like before the modern era.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get into this one as quickly as DERELICT LONDON. A lot of the waterway descriptions are dull, and while the history is often fascinating, it's really sparsely written. I had to Google a lot of events that were referenced as important but never described. I wish they hadn't been so shy of just taking time and *describing* things properly -- the descriptions are just too short and shallow.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading the Paul Talling books as have recently done another walk of his which are always excellent

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little book with vibrant, honest photographs of London's waterways containing some interesting facts that stop you getting lost in the lists of place names
(This book can be purchased at the London Canal Museum)