The Fleet - London's Underground River

There's a lot more fascinating stuff on the site,

unless, of course, this isnt the kind ofthing that fascinates you,

in which case there's nothing but a load of old sewage.



Go well

Amplify’d from www.kuriositas.com

If you listen carefully just above this unassuming grate you can hear the ripple and splash of flowing water. This is the sound of the River Fleet, London’s largest subterranean river. Forced underground by the city’s burgeoning populace the river still flows from its source to its mouth where it joins London’s main waterway, the Thames. Yet what lies beneath?

Below the ground there is a remarkable network of tunnels and chambers, put in to place by Victorian engineers, the final step in a process which took centuries.  For over a thousand years there had been a shipping dock at the mouth of the river – its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon fleot which means a tidal inlet. Yet it was not destined to persevere as a river in its own right.

The Fleet remains tidal and these incredible pictures, taken by Flickr photographer sub-urban, show the river at its lowest level.  Visitors must remain vigilant of the time as it fills to the roof in thirty minutes. Even as the time draws towards low tide the water is way above the height of a man. A short time at the upper levels and it empties out although it would be easy for the unwary traveller to be trapped and drowned on its return. Read more at www.kuriositas.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1e56a