It's the Circle line, but not as we know it...

Fleeting BLACKFRIARS Let's finish off my five-part walk down the River Fleet by following the long-buried section through the City of London. It's barely a ten minute walk from Smithfield to the Thames but packed with interest, so much so that 20 years ago I spent a week writing about it, but this'll be a more fleeting precis. Relevant landmarks along the way include Holborn Viaduct, Ludgate Circus and Fleet Street, obviously, plus several structures that weren't here back in August 2005. And OK there's no sight or sound of the river this time but the signs are everywhere. The Fleet enters the City beside Smithfield Market. The area was originally known as Smooth Field, a grassy bank leading down to the river, hence the ideal place for a cattle market. Of the subsequent buildings the closest is the General Market Building, long vacated and currently being reimagined as a home for the London Museum which is due to open next year. The Victorian facade isn't quite ready so is screened at present by a long white hoarding featuring 33 pigeons each decorated by an artist from a different London borough. Here we read "These hoardings are a creative expression of our new brand identity", also that the museum will be "a shared place where all of London's stories cross and collide", and I fear that someone at the museum may have paid their strategic narrative agency too much money. The standout structure hereabouts is Holborn Viaduct, or the Holborn Valley Viaduct as it was known when the foundation stone was laid in 1867. The valley of the Fleet is particularly pronounced here, so for centuries cross-town traffic had been forced to dip down Holborn Hill and climb Snow Hill on the opposite side. The new cast iron span was over 400m long, supported on granite piers, and cost over £2m in conjunction with the associated road improvements. It still looks gorgeous with its red and gold gloss exterior and dragon-supported City arms, plus four statues on the upper parapets representing Commerce, Agriculture, Fine Arts and Science. Look underneath to find arched vaults, one currently occupied by a wine merchant, or head to one of the four corner pavilions to find staircases connecting top and bottom. The two southside stairwells are gloriously evocative whereas the northside pair are modern rebuilds with less character, lifts and in one case a huge tiled mural depicting the viaduct's construction. Holborn Bridge, now Holborn Viaduct, once marked the Fleet's tidal limit. North of here the river was originally known as the Holebourne, literally the stream (bourne) in the hollow (hole), in case you'd never realised how the name Holborn was derived. South of here the river lived out its final days as a canal, Sir Christopher Wren having transformed the filthy channel into what he hoped would be a majestic 50-ft-wide waterway after the Great Fire. Things didn't quite turn out as hoped, the water soon silted up again and under private ownership the canal fell into disrepair. In 1733 the section between Holborn and Ludgate was arched over and topped off with a long line of market stalls - the Fleet Market - which was eventually cleared away in 1829 after becoming a dilapidated impediment to traffic. Although Farringdon Street is a Victorian creation this valley section feels increasingly modern as large-scale office developments inexorably replace the buildings to either side. Goldman Sachs massive HQ occupies a huge block as far down as Stonecutter Street while a new 13-storey curtain of student accommodation is rising opposite adjacent to Holborn Viaduct. Its hoardings are emblazoned with Fleet-related ephemera and artefacts, quite impressively so, including pewter tankards, Turnmills flyers and fascinating double page spreads from old books. One consequence of construction is that Turnaround Lane has been wiped from the map, a medieval alley so called because if you drove a cart down it to the river you'd have to come back up again. Of the handful of parallel alleys that survive, all have been relegated to become dead-end service roads for adjacent office blocks, each brimming with nipped-out smokers. The notorious Fleet Prison was once slotted between Bear Lane and Seacoal Lane, originally located here just outside the City walls after the Norman Conquest. Its 19th century replacement was the Congregational Memorial Hall, birthplace of the modern Labour Party, whose memorial plaques can be seen embedded in the wall of the latest office block to grace the site. Back in 2005 this was a huge hole in the ground and now it's the Fleet Place Estate, a split-level generic mass of workspace offering KERB streetfood and "best-in-class end-of-commute facilities". Close by is Ludgate Circus, originally the site of Fleet Bridge, the key river crossing on the medieval road between Westminster and the City. To one side was Ludgate Hill and on the other side Fleet Bridge Street, its name subsequently shortened to Fleet Street. The bridge was essentially buried at the same time as the river in the 1760s, and the current concave crossroads appeared 100 years later. Blackfriars Bridge and not its Victorian replacement. This was the second section of the Fleet to be arched over, covering Wren's former wharfage, a hollow subsequently used to funnel both the Fleet Sewer and the Fleet Relief Sewer towards the Thames. It's a fairly lacklustre road today, its bland nature exemplified by the presence of Fleet Street Quarter's Green Skills And Innovation Hub halfway down. It would have looked considerably more magnificent 500 years ago when Henry VIII built a royal palace here, and far less appealing a century later after that had evolved into the Bridewell house of correction, lowest of the Fleet's three notorious lockups. The Bridewell Theatre round the back is a much more recent addition inside a converted Victorian swimming pool. On the opposite bank was Blackfriars Priory, which despite being dissolved 500 years ago still manages to lend its name to much of the modern locality. As well as the bridge there's also the railway station, which now spans the Thames, and the tall thin Black Friar pub whose exterior mosaic features two friars dangling a fish by the mouth of the Fleet. The expansive road junction here was originally called Chatham Place and is now a major feeder of bicycles as well as passing cars. Until 2017 it was possible to descend to the walkway beneath Blackfriars Bridge, peer down and see the outfall where the brick-chambered Fleet Sewer overspilled into the Thames. The best view was from a staircase that no longer exists, this because the Tideway super sewer took control and has been refashioning the waterfront for several years longer than originally intended. 110m of fresh foreshore is scheduled for completion next month, and already looks nearly ready, while the former outfall has been encased behind a slabby protrusion that'll feed any brown sludge into the mega-tunnel 48m below. And that's my fleeting return to the Fleet completed, a five-part skim down the river from fledgling peaty trickle at Kenwood to brand new post-Bazalgette megapipe at Blackfriars. Its path is rarely visible but can often be easily traced if you know where to look, and hides a fascinating fluvial history. What's more it's changed far more than I expected since I last blogged the Fleet 20 years ago, so who's to say I won't come back in 2045 and give it another go? The original August 2005 Fleet posts All five of this year's posts on a single page The original 170 Flickr photos 75 Fleeting photos from 2025 (21 from round here) [click the little icon top right to get a slideshow] history of the River Fleet (2009) map of lost rivers 1300 map, 1682 map, 1746 map, 1746 map, 1790 map

A glimpse into the future?

It's almost September again but never fear, London's putting on a last flurry of events, activities and happenings before the nights draw in and we're all invited. Here's my weekend-by-weekend guide to free September delights. (I've also included this weekend because the bank holiday was early so it feels quite Septembery already) All month Totally Thames (Sep 1-30): Once again a whole month of river-focused events, most ticketed, ranging from art to walks to virtual talks to a folksong singalong. Thankfully the website's events section is easier to scroll through these days, but I don't see many big highlights this year. Lambeth Heritage Festival (Sep 1-30): Dozens of free talks, guided walks and openings across the borough (plus a proper 32-page brochure to flick through, bliss). Hats off to whoever organises this every year. If you live locally you should definitely take a look. Weekend 0: August 30/31 Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (22 Aug - 6 Sep): This significant splurge of spectacular performances delivers artistic wonders annually. To see what's going on it's probably best to download the brochure. This weekend it's all about acrobatics in North Greenwich (1-5pm, both days). Creative Mile (Sat, Sun): Art in venues across Brentford, a full mile from the canal basin to the Steam Museum. Angel Canal Festival (Sun, 11-4): Waterside gaiety beside City Road Lock, now in its fourth decade. The Mayor of Islington usually arrives by narrowboat. I went in 2023. Brentford Festival (Sun, 12-6): Live tunes, stalls, vintage vehicles and the obligatory dog show in Blondin Park W5. Now in its 20th anniversary year. I went in 2023. Weekend 1: September 6/7 Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (Fri, Sat): On this final weekend it's waterborne theatre in Thamesmead and a heck of a lot of dancing in Stratford (Saturday affternoon only). Leytonstone Festival (Sat, Sun): Local performers - mostly actors and musicians - perform across E11 across the next week. The opening event is at St John's church. Includes Hitchcock screenings. St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival (Sat, Sun): Annual gathering of small boats near Tower Bridge, including Dunkirk Little Ships, dockside entertainment, opportunities to go on board and yachting celebrity Tom Cunliffe. Black on the Square (Sat, from 12): The Mayor's latest culturally-themed Trafalgar Square takeover, now in its third year. Performers include Janet Kay and DJ Wookie. Croxfest (Sat from noon): OK this one's not quite in London, but where else are you going to hear The Elastic Cats, Talk in Code, The Peppered Aces and Nothing But A Good Time other than on the Green in Croxley? Thames Barrier Closure (Sun, 7.15am-5.15pm): The annual all-day check that the gates still work. The spectacular bit is when the gates go into overspill around noon. Weekend 2: September 13/14 Open House London (this weekend and next): The grand-daddy of architectural festivals, with hundreds of weird and wonderful buildings throwing open their doors across the capital for two weekends. The online calendar currently includes 808 properties, over 500 of which are "just turn up". It's quite central-London-centric this year (5 in Havering but 80 in Westminster), although I always think the outer boroughs have some of the genuine treasures. It's possible to search by date, borough, event type and map location and also to filter out events that need pre-booking. As ever there's far too much to choose from, but if you need inspiration here are my reports from 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Be there or regret it for the subsequent 51 weeks. Heritage Open Days (Fri - next Sun): In an awkward overlap, the nationwide opening-up of historic buildings coincides with Open House this year. 87 are in the capital, including sculpturetastic Dorich House, E3's House Mill and tours of Woolwich Works (many appear in the Open House listings too). London Design Festival (continues next weekend): Hundreds of design-er events, many aimed at "the trade" but others more public-focused. The online programme is so diffuse I have already waved the white flag and surrendered. Step Inside 25 Weekend (Sat, Sun): Somerset House celebrates 25 years of public opening with an entire weekend of free events, including artists' studios, large-scale sculpture and pop-up basketball. Thames Tidefest (Sun, 10-5): River-based activities scattered between Brentford and Chiswick, with a particular marquee-focus at Strand-on-the-Green, W4. Markfield Road Festival (Sat, Sun): Art, DJs and a carnival procession, spilling out into the streets up N15 way. Hampton Court Open Gardens (Sat, Sun): One of half a dozen opportunities annually to explore the palace's historic grounds for free. Scadbury Open Weekend (Sat, Sun, 2-5): Archaeological excavations at the moated medieval manor house near the Sidcup bypass. I went in 2022 and I enjoyed. Route 54 Heritage Event (Sat, 10-5): Free vintage bus rides along route 54 in Lewisham and Bromley, and not just for People Who Like Buses. (yes there is far far too much going on this weekend, they should spread it out better) Weekend 3: September 20/21 Open House London: Weekend two Heritage Open Days Weekend two Bermondsey Street Festival (Sat, 11-7): A designery "village fête", plus the obligatory dog show, plus curated live music, plus food and stalls. The Great River Race (Sat from 10.15am): 300 craft engage in a spectacular paddle up the Thames from Docklands to Richmond. Peckham Festival (Sat, Sun): Since 2016 a celebration of creative Peckham, with food amidst the art, music and fashion. Japan Matsuri (Sun, 10-8): Trafalgar Square once again hosts a day of all things Japanese, including mass drumming, kendo, anime and okonomiyaki. Chiswick House Dog Show (Sun, 11-4.15): With a theme of The Great British Bark Off, celebrity judges give the hounds of W4 the runaround. Weekend 4: September 27/28 Chelsea Physic Garden Open Weekend (Sat, Sun): Annual freebie at London’s oldest botanic garden as part of the Chelsea Festival. Woolmen’s Sheep Drive and Wool Fair (Sun, 10-4): The celeb leading this year's first tranche over Southwark Bridge will be revealed shortly, but they'll do well to beat Mary Berry or Michael Portillo. Come too for wool-related trade stalls and lamb burgers. Liberty Festival (Wed-Sun): Wandsworth are hosting this year because they're the Borough of Culture. The programme of disability artists peaks on Sunday afternoon with a picnic in Battersea Park.

A year-round, natural water pool.