The Westbourne: A Lost River from Paddington to Chelsea

Once a natural river flowing from the hills of Hampstead to the Thames, the Westbourne has largely disappeared beneath London. On this walk we will follow its former course from Paddington to Chelsea, uncovering traces of the river and the landscape it once shaped.

Along the way we will discover hidden mews, forgotten bridges and a pub that was once part of a coaching inn standing beside the river. We will also encounter the remarkable Pantechnicon – built as a supposedly fireproof warehouse, but ironically destroyed by fire in the 19th century.

In Knightsbridge we will explore a curious little enclave of eight dead-end mews. The course of the Westbourne flowed at the back of those mews and was subsequently put to various uses. The houses also reveal the connection with the Duke of Westminster, whose wheatsheaf emblem can still be spotted on some of them.

The Westbourne once fed the Serpentine and Long Water, and we will walk through the two parks along the route of the former river. Today the lakes are maintained by rainwater and other supplies, while the Westbourne itself has disappeared into the Ranelagh sewer system.

There is, however, one extraordinary reminder that the river still exists: a huge section of the Westbourne can be seen inside a pipe above Sloane Square tube station.

Finally, we will follow the river's course to the Thames. Beneath a newly created small park with a lovely view towards the Pagoda in Battersea Park, the Westbourne enters a drop shaft and tunnel forming part of London's "Super Sewer", carrying its waters towards the Beckton treatment works.

A walk about a lost river, hidden London and the surprising traces that remain above ground.

Afterwards we will visit a pub.

Distance: approximately 6 km

Please note: This walk is undertaken at your own risk.