Walking the River Westbourne - Sunday 11th November

The River Westbourne is one of the “hidden” rivers of London, about the same size and length as the River Fleet. Pam had led us on a walk from the mouth of the Fleet to its source on Hampstead Heath in October 2012. This time we followed the Westbourne, downstream from Paddington to the Thames.

Fifteen EFOG members plus two guests assembled in front of the Hilton Hotel in Paddington in time for the two minutes silence – it being Remembrance Sunday. The traffic also paused - including a poppy-bedecked bus. Pam then introduced us to the the Westbourne River, telling us how it rises on Hampstead Heath, flows through Kilburn – where it was once called the Cyl-Burn – and all of the way underground.

Crossing the road, we turned left into Spring Street – the first of numerous street names that reminded us of the river's course – then into one of a number of pretty mews that we were to pass through. I suspect that they're pretty expensive, too.

Crossing Bayswater Road we entered Kensington Gardens, at which point there is an ornate Italian-style garden. In the 1730s the Westbourne had been used to form the Long Water and the Serpentine; now these two lakes are fed by pumping spring-water from the aquifer below this part of London. We followed the north banks of the lakes, past a statue by Henry Moore, to the southern end of the lakes where we had a break for a snack in lovely Autumn sunshine. The Westbourne, meanwhile, continued its underground course via a system of water pipes somewhat away from its original course, to be joined with overflow from the Serpentine close to the area known as the Dell.

Through Knightsbridge then, to walk along Pont Street (Knightsbridgian for Bridge Street, of course) and southwards towards Sloane Square. At Sloane Square – curiously – one can glimpse the course of the underground river as it flows above the Underground Station. It is easier to do this from the station platform, but we left that until the end...

Unfortunately we were not able to follow the river's course beneath the grounds of the the Royal Chelsea Hospital, as there is no through-route at the moment, so instead we walked past the vast area soon-to-be-development-site of the old Chelsea Barracks to reach another new development – Grosvenor Waterside. Here we looked at the Grosvenor Canal – or the little that remains of what has ever only been a short canal. At its maximum extent it reached what is now the bus station outside of Victoria Station. Here too is the chimney-stack that once conducted the smoke from the boilers that powered pumping-engines to lift sewage into Bazalgette's wonderful system, to transport it from here across London to join that from elsewhere to reach the Thames at Beckton. The system is still in use, although the adjoining engine-house now uses electric pumps to do the same job.

Crossing the road just onto Chelsea Bridge, we had our first view of the River Westbourne itself – the only view, as even the waters of the Serpentine are no longer sourced from the Westbourne. Looking westwards along the embankment of the Thames, in the distance can be seen the arch from which the Westbourne exits for its final few metres into the Thames. We walked along the embankment to this point, almost opposite the main gates of the Chelsea Royal Hospital grounds. We were just above the arch here, and the Westbourne flowed below us.

Retracing our steps to Chelsea Bridge, we crossed into Battersea Park – again viewing the Westbourne's exit from its subterranean passage. Through Battersea Park then, viewing the rather magnificent fountain display at 3pm, then across the Albert Bridge – ensuring that we broke step as instructed – and along Royal Hospital Road, past the Physic Gardens, to stop for a snack in the National Army Museum.

Finally, we made our way to Sloane Square Station where as we waited for our trains home we were able to view the Westbourne from below...or at least the cast iron pipe within which it flows above the platforms.

Another excellent town-walk by Pam, accompanied by Amina, Bernie, Dave, Fozi, Fred, Jill V., Jinan, Ken, Lynne, Madeleine, Marilyn, Paul, Phil and Sue - plus John and Wendy.

Paul Ferris   11th November, 2013