London's Hidden Rivers

A fantastic guide to exploring the hidden rivers of London.

London has many rivers, but they are often hidden under centuries of development. Rivers like the Walbrook, the Fleet, or the Effra have left their mark on the city, and still form an important part of our subterranean world.

From the former watering hole by the Earl’s Sluice, where Canterbury pilgrims rested, David Bowie rehearsed, and Henry Cooper trained, to the Gardens by the Westbourne where a young Mozart performed.

From Counter’s Creek and its burial grounds of Kensal Green and Brompton to the River Effra and the West Norwood cemetery.

From the pipe carrying the River Tyburn over Baker Street Underground station to the grate in Farringdon through which the River Fleet can be heard (and seen).

David Fathers shows the course of London's hidden rivers in a series of detailed guided walks, illustrating the traces they have left and showing the ways they have shaped the city. Each walk starts at the tube or rail station nearest to the source of the river and then follows it down to the Thames through parkland, suburbia, historic neighbourhoods, and the vestiges of our industrial past.

London's Hidden Rivers contains over 120km of walks, both north and south of the Thames. Winding through the hills, valleys, and marshes that underlie the city, every page is a revelation.