Flow gently sweet Fleet

The mouth of the River Fleet where it joins the Thames at Blackfriars Bridge

The subterranean or underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of London. Since it is difficult to stop water from flowing downhill, the rivers now flow through underground culverts.



The Fleet was a clear sparkling river that for centuries ran from its source at Hampstead Heath to the Thames. Now its banks are found in a series of labyrinthine sewer tunnels, deep underground, for the brave and hardy to explore.


Royal procession in 1869 under the new Holborn Viaduct which crosses the valley of the Fleet River

The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers. Its two headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath; each is now dammed into a series of ponds made in the 18th century, the Hampstead Ponds and the Highgate Ponds. At the south edge of Hampstead Heath these two streams flow underground as sewers which join in Camden Town. From the ponds the water flows underground for 4 miles (6.4 km) to join the River Thames.



The Fleet flows from two underground springs in Hampstead Heath on each side of Parliament hill. The western source starts at the Hampstead Ponds, and the old course of the river just to the south is marked by Fleet Road. The second source is in the northern edge of the park, on the grounds of Kenwood House. A longer series of ponds, the Highgate ponds, show where this spring flows along the eastern side of the park.
The two springs united just north of Camden Town. In 1826, it was recorded that the river at this point was 65 feet wide. The Fleet had always one of London’s bigger rivers—the name itself is thought to have been derived from a word meaning, basically, “big enough to float a large boat”


The Fleet River was commonly known as the Fleet Ditch, and it was notoriously filthy. In this romanticised view the Bridewell Footbridge that crosses it gives the scene a Venetian air. The different river craft include lighters moored along the quay of the River Fleet and two sprit-rigged sailing barges. The vessels in the Thames include three West Country barges, a sprit-rigged sailing barge, and wherries carrying passengers and cargoes. The Fleet River was covered over from Holborn to Fleet Street in 1737, and from Fleet Street to the Thames in 1869 when Blackfriars Bridge was under construction. The river survives today as a sewer under New Bridge Street.


The reality - The "Fleet Ditch" in 1844



The River Fleet's long and fascinating history goes all the way back to Roman times, when it was a major river and contained one of the oldest tidal mills in the world. Later on, in Anglo-Saxon times, the river was a dock for shipping at the point where it joined the Thames in a marshy tidal basin 100 yards wide. You can still see iron hoops that may have been used to tie up ships to the banks. At one time, gaily dressed women with parasols and men in their top hats promenaded in nearby gardens.





They partook of the 'healing' waters at spas along the Fleet's upper route — such as those in Bagnigge, a famous well. Further into London, however, it was a different story. As industry inexorably made London its headquarters, the River Fleet declined into a mishmash of sewage and garbage. Even old carcasses were thrown into it.







The development of the Regent's Canal and urban growth covered the river in King's Cross and Camden from 1812. The 'Fleet Market' was closed during the 1860s with the construction of Farringdon Road and Farringdon Street as a highway to the north and the Metropolitan Railway, while the final upper section of the river was covered when Hampstead was expanded in the 1870s. The Fleet played a very important part in the construction of the Metropolitan Line, the world's first Underground Metro, which gave its name to all underground railways.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/01/great-circle-line-journey.html

The Underground Railway was the brainchild of Charles Pearson, Solicitor to the Corporation was an early advocate of a railway into the city and the terrible slums of Clerkenwell along the valley of the river Fleet being rebuilt in the process. As the line neared completion in June 1862 the Fleet sewer, which had been diverted into a brick culvert, burst near Farringdon and flooded the line back to Kings Cross to a depth of ten feet. The railway was also dogged by funding problems due to the delays and the Crimean War which was then taking place.


The bifurcation chamber under Camden Town where the two streams which rise on Hampstead Heath join to form the River Fleet

Due to the Great Stink of 1858, when sewage made the smell of London unbearable, 70% of all of the city's river networks were covered. You can guess where they were, however, by the road names. Water closets were adopted by the more affluent households of London in the early 19th century, in place of privies and cess pits. As a result, sewers originally intended to take rain water into the Thames now carried raw sewage - which was then extracted by the water companies to be drunk by their customers. The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers had responsibility for the situation, but didn't have the power to impose sufficient taxes to solve the problem.



In the 'Great Stink' of London such was the overpowering smell from the Thames, that the curtains of the Commons were soaked in chloride of lime in a vain attempt to protect the sensitivities of MPs. It is no surprise that a bill was rushed through Parliament and became law in 18 days, to provide more money to construct a massive new sewer scheme for London, and to build the Embankment along the Thames in order to improve the flow of water and of traffic.



In London with the expansion of the city in the early C19th the Thames was an open sewer and cholera was a constant problem, but it wasn't until the 'Great Stink' of 1858 that any serious action was taken. The great Victorian engineer Joseph Bazalgette solved the problem by building the great system of sewers, pumping stations and treatment works which still operate to this day. It also led to the building of the Victoria and Albert Embankments along the Thames changing the face of London and the River Thames to this day.

Although few ever saw it, Bazalgette’s sewer system was one of the engineering marvels of its day. Round brick tunnels ranging from six to twelve feet in diameter hold mainline sewers, as well as rivers like the Fleet that had become so polluted that they were best put underground. Round tunnels flow into even vaster tunnels shaped like an upside-down horseshoe, with gently concave floors. Smaller channels were often oval or egg-shaped. (With the smaller end of the egg’s profile pointed downward, this shape keeps sewage flowing faster even when it’s low flow, and that helps reduce silt build-up.) These were built not only for sewage and wastewater, but also to drain the city of rain or snowmelt. Because of this, the tunnels often seem needlessly huge.



When Bazalgette designed the sewer system, one of the most important things he did was create a system of five “interceptor” sewers, which ran parallel to the Thames at various distances and intercepted the water from the north- and south-flowing sewers to carry the sewage to a treatment plant. Previously, the sewage had flowed directly into the Thames, near where drinking water for the city was withdrawn. Bazalgette’s new system probably saved an incalculable number of lives from disease.



Fleet Street is still one of the most famous streets in London, known for its past use by newspaper companies. The Fleet can be heard through a grating in Ray Street, Clerkenwell in front of the Coach and Horses pub. The position of the river can still be seen in the surrounding streetscape with Ray Street and its continuation Warner Street lying in a valley where the river once flowed. It can also be heard through a grid in the centre of Charterhouse Street where it joins Farringdon Road (on the Smithfield side of the junction). In wet weather, the murky Fleet can be seen gushing into the Thames at a right angle on a very low tide from the Thameswalk exit of Blackfriars station, immediately under the Blackfriars Bridge. Look for a ladder that descends into the water. (The picture shows the right location but it can be seen much more clearly when standing over it.)


The final chamber of the Fleet Sewer.The huge metal doors are the floodgates onto the Thames and the circular objects are one way valves which open when the tide on the Thames is out to release the chambers contents into the river

The Fleet is now largely invisible underground but many ghosts remain. These include the many people who earned a living in its dank, smelly waters. So-called mudlarks and toshers scavenged items of value there, including bits of coal that had dropped off barges. Often these people were small children trying to eke out a living underground. It is part of the history of London going back to Roman Times waiting to see the light of day again.

London’s underground rivers;

River Thames - North Bank


The River Tyburn in Central London, it flows under Buckingham Palace and "Brook Street" in Mayfair is named after it



The Walbrook
The River Fleet, the largest
The Tyburn
The Tyburn Brook
The River Westbourne
Counter's Creek
Stamford Brook
River Brent (partly underground)
River Rom (partly underground)


River Fleet - "Steps" down to the Thames outlet

River Thames – south bank:

The River Peck
The River Neckinger
The River Effra
The Falconbrook
The Graveney River

River Lea:


The Moselle is visible above ground flowing through Tottenham Cemetery on its way to the Lea.

Hackney Brook
The River Moselle

To see some of the underground pictures on their original sites see;

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-londons-secret-subterranean-river

www.sub-urban.com

Some of this article and photos are licensed under the Creative Commons BY-SA License. The text uses material from Wikipedia content. Thanks to sub-urban.com and john Doe for their pictures of the underground river.

Thanks to my good Bloggy Buddy “The Girl in the Cafe” for the heads up on these wonderful photos of the underground river.

http://www.thegirlinthecafe.com


Lost Rivers of London Click for larger image

Baddesley Clinton Hall

Baddesley Clinton Hall



Baddesley Clinton first caught my eye at Marylebone Tube where the picture of the moated manor house provides an alluring double width poster on the Tube wall. So on one of the few fine Sundays in August we head up the M40 to Shakespeare’s County (and my father’s! http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/11/moonlight-sonata_14.html ) of Warwickshire to see this historic house which has stood here since the 13th Century.





Ferrers family portraits



Baddesley Clinton is a medieval moated manor house just to the south east of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The Baddesley part of the name comes from a Saxon called Baeddi who cleared the site in the Forest of Arden. The Clinton part comes from the Clinton family who dug the moat in the 13th century. This atmospheric house we see today dates from the 15th century and was the home of the Ferrers family for 500 years. The house and interiors reflect its heyday in the Elizabethan era, when it was a haven for persecuted Catholics – there are three priest's holes. There is a delightful garden with stewponds (ponds which provided fish for the house) and a romantic lake and nature walk.











Baddesley Clinton Hall was originally a 13th century fortified manor house, founded by Thomas de Clinton. The rectangular platform encased by a wide revetted moat, now supports the remains of a 15th century stone quadrangular strong house, founded by the Brome family. The east range is flanked by a two storey gatehouse, with four gunloops but the original hall in the north range has disappeared. To the north and north east are the linear depressions and undulations of The Forecourt, medieval building ranges, which were dismantled during the early 18th century.







This moated manor house just north of the historic town of Warwick in the English county of Warwickshire was probably established sometime in the 13th century. When large areas of the Forest of Arden were cleared and eventually converted to farmland, this large fortified manor house was probably also built. In 1438, John Brome, the Under Treasurer of England, bought the manor. It then passed to his son, Nicholas, who is thought to have built the East Range, which is the main entrance. Nicholas is also responsible for the extensive rebuilding of the nearby church of St Michael's, done as penance for killing the parish priest, a murder reputed to have taken place in the great house itself.











The Hall was built as a semi-fortified manor-house surrounded by a moat, and approached by a drawbridge. It now consists of three sides (or ranges) of an approximate rectangle, having lost its west range. The internal courtyard was originally about 57 ft. north to south and 37 ft. east to west, and were not a true rectangle, the west and north sides being a little longer than those opposite them; the ranges are roughly 25 ft. deep. The moat averages about 30 ft. in width on three sides and about half that width on the east. The entrance front with a gatehouse is towards the north. All the ranges are of two stories.











As you drive up the private road to the house from Rising Lane, you start to wonder if it's worth visiting. All you can see is fields and trees. The house is not in sight until you get to the car park. From a distance it looks fairly modest. But once you get closer, the significance of the place begins to penetrate.4





Bedroom



It was the home of the Ferrers, a staunch Catholic family, for 500 years. The gem of a country manor house, part of which dates back to medieval times, is surrounded by a moat, which is the oldest feature of Baddesley. It originally had a drawbridge but this had been replaced by a gatehouse built by Sir Edward Ferrers by the 1520s. As you walk around the moat, it becomes visually clear that each side of the house was built in different eras in the 17th and 18th centuries, despite the Ferrers family's long-lasting financial difficulties.









Great Hall



Baddesley Clinton has seen little change since 1633 when Henry Ferrers 'the Antiquary' died. Henry Ferrers was Squire at Baddesley for almost seventy years and remodelled the house over a long period of time, introducing much of the panelling and chimney pieces. Henry was proud of his ancestry and began the tradition at Baddesley of armorial glass, which has continued to the present day.









Armorial glass



The house experienced one of its most dramatic events during the Tudor period. During this time it was an offence to attend Catholic mass, people were fined for not attending Church of England services and Priests could suffer savage punishment. In an attempt to maintain the faith, priests were trained abroad, smuggled into the country and then hidden by a covert network of sympathisers. In Warwickshire, as elsewhere in England, many of the gentry continued to practice what they saw as the true faith. One such family were the Ferrers who owned Baddesley Clinton.





Priesthole



In 1591, the house was the scene for a secret conference of Catholic Priests. Amongst those at the conference were the well known Jesuit Priests John Gerard, and Henry Garnet as well as seven or eight fellow Jesuits, other Priests and a few fugitive sympathisers. All of these people were being actively sought by the authorities and the capture of such a group would have dealt a serious blow to the secret Catholic mission to England.





Chapel



Four armed Priest hunters (known as Pursuivants) had arrived and were loudly threatening a servant who had barred the door to them. Because the servant had delayed their entry the Priests inside the house had time to hide their vestments and the altar stuff. The Priests even had time to turn the mattresses on their beds so that they would not feel warm to a searchers touch.





Library



By the time the mistress of the house had come downstairs and allowed the searchers to enter, the Priests were hidden in a secret hide underneath the house. They had to remain crouched here for four hours whilst the search went on above them. Eventually the searchers tired of their efforts and left after they had extracted payment from the household for their troubles. John Gerard wrote the account of this search in his memoirs when he escaped England and returned to live the rest of life on the continent. Robert Southwell and Henry Garnet were not so lucky as both of them were later caught and executed by being hung, drawn and quartered.











Restoring the stonework in Arden Shale, a local sandstone



Baddesley Clinton also has a strong link to Cardinal John Henry Newman. He was a friend of the family and received Lady Chatterton, Edward Dering and Rebecca Ferrers into the Catholic Church in 1865. After this, he occasionally visited Baddesley and there is a portrait of him by Rebecca in the lower landing. At least two saints (Robert Southwell and Nicholas Owen) walked the corridors of this house. This number may well rise to three in years to come.







The decoration and furnishing of the house also bears the stamp of Marmion Edward Ferrers, and his wife Rebecca who continued to embellish the house with stained glass and heraldry. Pictures painted by Rebecca remain to show how the romantic character of Baddesley was enjoyed in the late nineteenth century when the family also re-created a sumptuously furnished Chapel.











Baddesley Clinton has a particularly beautiful garden which includes ponds, a walled garden, lakeside walk and nature trail. The gardens at Baddesley Clinton are delightful. They surround the moated manor and include formal courtyard garden, wildflower and meadow garden, woodland/lakeside walks, and stew ponds. Edward Ferrers was responsible for creating the ‘court garden’ by 1722 as part of his improvements to the house. It is an enclosed and formal area of grass, in the centre of which a sundial has recently been reinstated with surrounding borders of shrub roses. It also contains a very attractive reconstruction of a thatched decorative shelter in the cottage ornée tradition where ladies could shelter from either the rain or sun on the perambulations.













It is well worth a perambulation to this day to view the superb dahlia border and the herb borders. There is a Japanese style bridge over the Long Ditch linking the stewponds and nature trail areas by the lake and walks through the old estate are both clearly signposted and rewarding.





One too many!

Stewponds and lake



Like most National Trust this is a well run property with the former farm and stable yards providing the visitor facilities which include an entrance and information building, an outdoor snack bar, a Barn Restaurant, a book sale and sales of plants from the gardens along with garden furniture.





















Court Garden



The barn housing the restaurant was built in 1721-2 incorporating trusses from the earlier buildings on the site. It was used for storing and threshing grain. The restaurant has turned back the clock to discover the tastes of those times past. Selections of home-cooked foods are now on offer including sandwiches, salads, hot main dishes and puddings. Morning coffee is served from 11.00am, lunches from 12noon until 2.30pm and afternoon tea until 5.00pm.



The house itself is hugely atmospheric. The heirs of the Ferrers family spent 10 years attempting to transfer Baddesley Clinton to the National Trust and over the years much of the original furniture was sold to keep the wolf from the door. However some of the original fixtures have been reinstated and the Manor has been furnished and laid out in a style appropriate to its age. There are helpful and fascinating displays throughout as you go around adding depth and background to the experience. A particular mention must be made of the extremely helpful volunteer staff who are very happy to volunteer information and share their obvious enthusiasm for this unique slice of England’s history.



So visit and enjoy a day out at one of the most enchanting properties owned by the National Trust.





Getting to Baddesley Clinton



Baddesley Clinton



Rising Lane, Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire B93 0DQ

Telephone: 01564 783294



Opening Times.



House:



10th February to 31st October:



Wednesday to Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 11.00am - 5.00pm.







Grounds/shop/restaurant:



10th February to 19th December 2010:



Wednesday to Sunday (3 Nov - 19 Dec 11.00 am - 4.00 pm)

House also open 1 Dec - 19 Dec 2010 11.00 am - 4.00 pm



Seven day opening during school holidays - please check with the property for details.



Website; http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-baddesleyclinton







For other nearby National Trust properties see;



Upton House



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/09/upton-house-oxfordshire.html



Farnborough Hall



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/search/label/Farnborough%20Hall