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Today - having previously walked the #Fleet, the #Effra, the #Tyburn, the #Westbourne & the #Wandle - we are planning to walk London's shortest but most formative lost river: the #Walbrook
London was founded by the Romans in the river-valley of the #Walbrook, between Ludgate Hill & Cornhill. The river flowed through the centre of Londinium, & - fortunately for archaeologists - was used by the city's inhabitants as a dumping ground for all kinds of rubbish.
The earliest mention of the #Walbrook was in 1086, in a charter issued by William I, where it is referred to as “wylrithe”, Old English for “spring rivulet”. Etymologists debate whether 'Walbrook' derives from this, or from 'Wealhbroc': 'the brook of the Foreigners/Britons/Welsh'
To Croydon, there to start tracing the line of the river #Wandle!
The #Wandle is supposedly named after Wændle, a Saxon adventurer who also gave his name to Wandsworth, but otherwise seems not to have intruded upon the pages of the history books.
Even in the 11th century the #Wandle was a hive of industry (the Domesday Book records 13 mills along its length) and by the time of the Industrial Revolution it boasted 90. Long a polluted sewer, it is now one of the most improved rivers in the whole of Britain.
