Tonight, I attended a very interesting webinar hosted by the City of Westminster Libraries and Archives on “Searching for London’s Lost Rivers” presented by Dr Tom Bolton. Tom Bolton is a writer, researcher and photographer who lives in Streatham, works in urban design and policy, and is the author of 5 books including 2 volumes on “London’s Lost Rivers – A Walkers Guide”.
During his presentation Tom explained how many of these “Lost Rivers” were still alive but now as part of the sewer system, however, glimpses of them could be seen under drainage covers, or in the case of the River Westbourne running across Sloane Square tube station in a pipe. Then Tom decided to focus on some of the lesser know rivers including the Black Ditch and Stamford Brook. It was a fascinating talk with topical stories related to the rivers, and many wonderful illustrations. This was followed by an interesting Q&A session in which Tom explained how the Serpentine had been created from the River Westbourne and Highgate ponds were the source of the River Fleet, originally dammed for public water supply. My thanks go to Tom and the City of Westminster Libraries and Archives for an excellent webinar.
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