Paddington & its transport systems – 2 The canal – Brunel’s bridge: This was an early Brunel structure, predating the major works at Paddington Station by several years. The castings were made in Deptford and put together on site in 1838 and the structure officially opened in 1839. It was…
Paddington and its transport systems – 1 The building of the Grand Junction Canal between Braunston and Brentford brought the canal network to the River Thames, which in turn ran through the heart of London, giving direct access to the city’s wharves and industry. While this was intially an acceptable…
Having run past St Pancras church the Fleet heads towards Camden. Slight traces of the valley can be discerned here and there, mostly on an alignment to the west of the Regents Canal. The river was culverted around the time of the canal’s construction between Camden and Kings Cross. The…
Kings Cross Bridge – old street name sign on the side of the Scala entertainment centre. This sign can be seen from Kings Cross station (see below) A general view of Kings Cross Bridge. The Scala is on the right. There is still a ‘bridge’ here, it crosses the Metropolitan/Circle/Hammersmith…
In nearby Frederick Street, just off Kings Cross Road, is this small community gardens set in a depression. Its pretty obvious this was once the bed of the river itself The Fleet River now flows in its ‘sewer’ from Cubitt Street to Grays Inn Road, where it turns to cross…
At one time the Fleet river gently meandered between Mount Pleasant and Baggnige Wells. However by 1830 its course had been straightened out and that alignment now forms a large part of the alignment of Phoenix Place and Pakenham Street, and it is this alignment along which the Fleet Sewer…
Past Onslow Street the river headed across Clerkenwell Road northwards towards Ray Street. Much confusion over the Fleet’s alignment arises because of the massive changes to the valley as a result of the building and presence of the Metropolitan/Circle lines in the area. Many people think the railway was built…
New Bridge Road and Farringdon Road are the main throroughfare here and the Fleet River was arched over with substantial stone blocks. Later it was strengthened with several courses of brickwork. The evidence for this can be seen in this picture from Thames water’s archives. There are a number of…
The Fleet River must be the one and only natural river which enabled boats to reach any part of the inner metropolis of London, long before the Grand Junction or the Regents Canal were built. By decree of its route through some of old London’s most populated areas, the river…