45. The Water Conservation Trust Sponsored Walk

On Sunday 2nd October, a lovely sunny day, fifteen of us set off from The Angel underground station (see photograph) on a seven mile walk stopping off at key historical water sites en route. The purpose of the walk was to raise funds for the important work of the Trust in schools and with post graduates.

The route had been planned by Court Assistant Rob Casey and Deputy Master, Peter Hall. Our route included the New River Head site, the Clerk’s Well (which gave its name to Clerkenwell), Ray Street (where the River Fleet can still be heard flowing beneath a grating outside the Coach & Horses pub), through Smithfield meat market and on to Cock Lane (where the Great Fire of London was halted), and then past the “blue plaques” installed by Past Master Ted Flaxman to mark the Aldermanbury Conduit (see photograph), near the Guildhall and the Great Conduit in Cheapside.

Having reached the halfway point we stopped for lunch in One New Change near St Paul’s Cathedral.

Suitably refreshed, we headed down to the north embankement of the River Thames where we passed the Broken Wharf Waterworks (which unfortunately contributed to the cholera outbreak in 1834) and then by the River Fleete discharge into the Thames adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge. Walking further East we passed the Bazalgette Memorial which commemorates his work in designing the sewer network for Central London following the “great stink” in 1858. With great views of the London Eye (see photograph) the group eventually crossed the river via Westminster Bridge, the route continued to Vauxhall viewing the old Chelsea Waterworks (now Victoria Station) across the river.

A very big thank you to Rob and Peter for organizing the day.