Could Battersea one day open up its buried rivers?
By Camilla Ween, Open Spaces Committee Member
A walk along the River Wandle inspires OSC member Camilla Ween to rethink the future of Battersea's currently-hidden Falconbrook and Heathwall rivers.
Rebirth of the River Wandle
Walking the Wandle Trail
This summer we took a walk along the River Wandle, from Earlsfield to Abbey Mills and Morden Hall. Though this is not in Battersea, it is very close by and I feel there are many lessons to learn from this very special place.
The Wandle was once a discarded rubbish-filled place – its waters often hidden away in pipes. Over the last couple of decades the river and the landscape along its banks has been restored by the Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust to create a magical environment. The Wandle passes industrial activity and yet you feel close to nature along this narrow corridor. The restoration has brought wildlife back to the area and at Morden Hall Park the National Trust has created a stunning wetland habitat, complete with boardwalk. Birds, bees, butterflies and fox cubs are abundant. Herons fish along the river and kingfishers may be spotted, if you are lucky.
The wetland boardwalk in Morden Hall Park.
Battersea's Buried Rivers
Here in Battersea we have two rivers that since the 1860s have run underground in pipes, completely removed from our daily experience. These are the Falconbrook (under Northcote Road and Falcon Road) and the Heathwall River (under Heathwall Street, Robinson Street and Heathbrook Park). Today, we should ask ourselves why … and ... if this is still really how we want to treat our watercourses today? We know water gives us immense pleasure, so why can’t we see them flowing and welcome the biodiversity and life they bring with them? It is well known that experiencing the natural world and water are good for our mental health. For children in cities, water courses are a connection to what keeps us alive and a chance to see the brilliance of sun or moon reflected in water.
Could Battersea one day open up its buried water treasures again, for the pleasure of our community?
A grey heron wading in the Wandle
Further Reading
The Heathwall: Battersea's Buried River is an excellent short survey and walking guide by Jon Newman, reviewed by The Londonist here.
Description of the Falconbrook on the London's Lost Rivers website.
Back in 2019 the Museum of London held a Secret Rivers exhibition; its digital catalogue included proposals for 'daylighting' sections of the buried Effra and Tyburn.
In the same year Thames 21's London Rivers Week produced wider proposals for the rewilding of 100km of our city's waterways, with the aim of helping to reduce the impact of climate change.
Over in South East London, this walk along the lower reaches of the Ravensbourne shows how these have been partially rewilded in recent years, while over at Deptford Creek the Creekside Discovery Centre is a gateway to one of the most biodiverse landscapes in London.
Another grey heron, perched above the Wandle.