TIL New River, which passes through Finsbury Park, is a 28 mile long man made river, conceived in 1602 and still supplies 8% of London’s water.
by kemb0
TIL New River, which passes through Finsbury Park, is a 28 mile long man made river, conceived in 1602 and still supplies 8% of London’s water.
by kemb0
16 comments
Always intrigued by this odd river flowing through Finsbury Park which, when it leaves the park, is flowing above the houses around it. I always thought it was some vanity project for the park but didn’t realise it was so long and actually had a real purpose.
I find New River entrancing- especially as it slithers lazily through Cannonbury. It evokes images of London just before the Industrial Revolution which I find very powerfully nostalgic.
I grew up there, and still visit regularly. I can’t remember the river at all
You can see where it used to be above ground in many bits of Highbury/Islington. Roads with massive willow trees lining them, long linear parks.
Apparently it crosses over the River Lea!
I used to live a few houses down from it on the ladder in Harringey and never knew its origins until now!
Maps [here ](https://www.thameswater.co.uk/media-library/home/about-us/responsibility/thames-days-out/sites/heritage/new-river-path-leaflet.pdf)if it interests you
I understand it terminated at the Claremont Square reservoir
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1380626
Thank you kindly.
As I tell visiting friends, “Two things ye should know about the New River:
1. It’s not New;
2. It’s not a River”.
We often walk beside it to get to and from the pub.
Neither new, nor a river
Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ series of books are great! Sort of urban fantasy centered around London’s waterways.
A nice walk. I did the Wightman Rd to Ally Pally sections just yesterday!
I walked it over a couple of days a few years back – great thing to do
I used to live a few houses up from it on Mattison Road in Harringay. Lovely to know the history of it, thanks.
[_The Mercenary River_](https://www.headline.co.uk/titles/nick-higham/the-mercenary-river/9781472283849/) by Nick Higham is a fascinating book that looks into the founding of the New River Company and the development of London’s water supply since.
It’s a genuinely interesting telling of what could very easily be a very dry (oops) subject matter. I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a passing interest in the subject matter or how history has shaped the London of today.
Bro, it is fucking ridiculous. I used to walk over it everyday for work and it piqued my curiosity. The cunt descends just 8cm per every kilometre. How do you build this in 1608? It is incredible.
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