The subterranean or underground rivers of London are or were the direct or indirect

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

of the upper estuary of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

(the Tideway) that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. They now flow through

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe (fluid conveyance), pipe, reinforced concrete or other materia ...

s, with some of them integral parts of London's sewerage system and diverted accordingly.

North of the Thames

''From west to east - sub-tributaries are shown indented'' *

River Brent The River Brent is a river in west and northwest London, England, and a tributary of the River Thames. in length, it rises in the London Borough of Barnet, Borough of Barnet and flows in a generally south-west direction before joining the Tid ...

(partially underground) * Stamford Brook *Parrs Ditch *

Counter's Creek Counter's Creek, ending in Chelsea Creek, the lowest part of which still exists, was a stream that flowed from Kensal Green, by North Kensington and flowed south into the River Thames on the Tideway at Sands End, Fulham. Its remaining open w ...

River Westbourne The Westbourne or Kilburn, also known as the Ranelagh Sewer, is a culverted small Tributaries of the River Thames#Tributaries, River Thames tributary in London, rising in Hampstead and Brondesbury Park and which as a drain unites and flows so ...

Tyburn Brook Tyburn Brook was a small tributary stream to the West Bourne or Westbourne and ran mainly in Hyde Park for a few hundred metres south by south-west. It has lost its catchment to natural drainage into the gravelly topsoil and to surface water, ...

River Tyburn The River Tyburn was a stream ( bourn) in London, England. Its main successor sewers emulate its main courses, but it resembled the Colne in its county of Middlesex in that it had many distributaries (inland mouths). It ran from South Hampstead ...

River Fleet The River Fleet is the largest of Subterranean rivers of London, London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. It has been used as a culverted sewer since the development of Joseph Bazalgette's London sewe ...

, (following Farringdon Street, New Bridge Street and other roads). ** Lamb's Conduit ** Fagswell Brook (Follows the course of

Charterhouse Street Charterhouse Street is a street on the north side of Smithfield in the City of London. The road forms part of the City’s boundary with the neighbouring London Boroughs of Islington and Camden. It connects Charterhouse Square and Holborn C ...

) * River Walbrook * Lorteburn or Langbourne (now dry) * Brook at Nightingale Lane * Black Ditch * Muswell Stream''London's Lost Rivers''
(2011) Paul Talling, Random House, pp148-150 (sub-sub-tributary via Pymmes Brook and the River Lea) * River Moselle (subtributary via the Lea) * Hackney Brook (subtributary via the Lea) * Ham Creek * River Rom (partially underground)

South of the Thames

''From west to east - sub-tributaries are shown indented'' * Sudbrook (partially underground) * Beverley Brook (partially underground) * Graveney (sub tributary of River Wandle) ** Norbury Brook * Falconbrook * River Effra * River Neckinger * Earl's Sluice **

River Peck The River Peck is a small stream in London that was enclosed in 1823. The stream daylights on the west side of Peckham Rye, Peckham Rye Park. In Bermondsey, South Bermondsey it flows into the Earl's Sluice which has its confluence with the Tham ...

* River Quaggy (partially underground) (sub tributary of River Ravensbourne) * Heathwall Ditch

Development

In June 2008, the office of

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

published outline plans to reinstate some underground rivers. In January 2009, a partnership among the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

, The River Restoration Centre, and the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the Metonymy, metonym City Hall, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved Regions of England, regional governance body of Greater London, England. It consists of two political ...

set out a strategy for putting this into effect by creating the London Rivers Action Plan.

References

External links

* * {{cite web, url=http://london.openguides.org/pictures/lost_rivers.jpg , title=Map of London's Underground Rivers, website=OpenGuides.org, location=London, UK
Strange Maps - London's Lost Rivers
Subterranean London Rivers of London

North of the Thames

South of the Thames

Development

See also

References

Further reading

External links