These are the Magogs that chewed the clay
To the basin that London nestles in.
These are the currents that chiselled the city,
That washed the clothes and turned the mills
Where children drank and salmon swam
And wells were holy.
They have gone under.
Boxed, like the magician's assistant.
Buried alive in earth.
Forgotten, like the dead.
They return spectrally after heavy rain,
Confounding suburban gardens. They infiltrate
Chronic bronchitis statistics. A silken
Slur haunts dwellings by shrouded
Watercourses, and is taken
For the footing of the dead.
Being of our world, they will return
(Westbourne, caged at Sloane Square,
Will jack from his box),
Will deluge cellars, detonate manholes,
Plant effluent on our faces,
Sink the city.
Watch out! The Stonebridge brook goes under Effingham - Fairfax and the Hermitage brook goes under Woolaston and Umfreville. They go into the Lea after converging at the end of Grove Rd N15 at Markfield Park. THE HORNSEY HISTORICAL SOC HAVE AN INTERESTING BOOK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT "HARINGEYS HIDDEN STREAMS" OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT - IT'S IN THE LIBRARY OR YOU CAN BUY IT FROM THEIR WEE SHOP AT THE END OF ROKESLEY AVE ON TOTTENHAM LANE (Oops - sorry for the capitals, i didn't mean to shout!)
Ah, thanks for this. Was thinking about this today as I'd thought I'd heard of this before. So they go all the way to Lee Valley .... that's a lot of houses they're travelling under.
Mostly these old brooks go under roads, parks and back gardens. It's problematic to build on top of culverts ( and alot of new agers reckon it's also unhealthy for the inhabitants!). If you ever see an old stranded weeping willow tree there's sure to be an old water course underground nearby. Also look for dipped areas that frequently flood. When it's been raining alot you can see a little spontatneous brook up on Wightman road coming under the fence from Jewson's wood merchants - nice to see nature undetered...
The Groundwater Diaries by Tim Bradford is also worth a read. He's a local (well, stoke Newington) illustrator and writes pretty amusingly about punk rock's connections to our lost rivers (!?!).
Frank, I love (NOT) your very simpatico attitude to that dirty little spontaneous brook gurgling out onto Wightman Rd. 'Nature undeterred indeed! I'm trying to get Brian Haley to come up here and find/fund some means to deter the babbling little bugger.