please empty your brain below
"Lost rivers, niche interest, not the publishing mainstream."


I really enjoy the work you've done, personally, might be a niche, but it's an appreciated one.

I still think you'd get a Radio 4 series out of it.

Can I also add then I spent a happy Saturday following the links you provided?

Briantist | Homepage | 31.03.10 - 8:32 a.m. | #

It's been very interesting reading about "Counters Creek". Thanks.
I had an Uncle who worked on the girders during the construction of Earls Court 1 arena. Be sorry if it’s torn down for more flats.
All the places you've written about are well known to me but I did not know about the old creek.
I'm of to Earls Court today for the Ideal Home show, (got a complimentary ticket) so shall think again of that lost stream running below my feet.

John | 31.03.10 - 8:54 a.m. | #

Yes - more rivers please.

I'm loving this series - stuff about geeky London that I find fascinating and which isn't the tube stuff that everyone knows. I find the interface between physical and societal geography particularly interesting.

I'm waiting for the summer to do the actual walking, however...

Henry | 31.03.10 - 9:19 a.m. | #

As a writer of Regency romances, I really, really appreciate your work on these lost rivers. Thank you!

Jan Jones | Homepage | 31.03.10 - 9:30 a.m. | #

Thanks as always DG, looking forward to next month's river. By the way, have you noticed that City Mill Lock on the Bow Back Rivers is finally being made usable again? At least, I think that's what the workmen are doing.

Ghostface1701 | 31.03.10 - 10:42 a.m. | #

I've been enjoying it too. More so than the Westbourne, as I was less familiar with this one.

ian | 31.03.10 - 10:53 a.m. | #

I've enjoyed both this and the previous series on London's lost rivers. I'd never have known the origin of the name Stamford Bridge but for this. As always you provide a glimpse of London that a foreigner (such as me) would never learn about otherwise.

martin | 31.03.10 - 11:30 a.m. | #

I fear that I may have been one of your Westbourne .pdf viewers! I've found this series really interesting - thank you for taking the time to research and publish such a good insight into London's lost watercourses.

Tom | 31.03.10 - 11:36 a.m. | #

Writers of biographies know they write (on the whole) for a small constituency - same conditions apply if you write the story of a river, apparently. That's not to say the work isn't valued...carry on, carry on.
(It is half term too....)

B | 31.03.10 - 11:38 a.m. | #

Nothing wrong with lost rivers. Not mainstream true, more a bit of a backwater...

Kim | 31.03.10 - 12:01 p.m. | #

If blogger will only sort out its archive problem, I suspect these are the sort of posts that will run and run - exactly the sort of useful stuff you hope to find on the internet when researching something and almost never do.

disgruntled | Homepage | 31.03.10 - 12:35 p.m. | #

While I may not be able to actively trace your footsteps I still thoroughly enjoy reading about Lost London.
It's an ever changing city and the ordinary, everyday things can easily get lost in the process. There are a lot of old photos of the famous areas of London, but very little of places like the East End, which have been lost forever since the Blitz.

CornishCockney | 31.03.10 - 6:54 p.m. | #

I'll be here for the next one, dg. I've also very much enjoyed the images on Flickr. So, thanks. And all that.

Rose | 31.03.10 - 10:02 p.m. | #

I think it's sad fewer people have read this. I'd never even heard of this river until you started this series of posts. Fascinating stuff and much appreciated!

Jon Combe | Homepage | 31.03.10 - 10:16 p.m. | #

Please don't stop! Regular daily reader and just happened to find myself on the Grosvenor rd opp the power station last Saturday looking at the Chelsea Harbour complex and the inlet thinking ... Is this where it comes out? And there it was in today's post! Yes I could of looked it up but I really enjoy the episodic reveal of your posts. Thank you

TonyO | 31.03.10 - 10:22 p.m. | #

Ditto some of the other comments. Plus also: sometimes (due to sporadic being busy at work etc.) it is not possible to immerse oneself in this stuff until a later date (perhaps quite some after you posted it) so although the immediate "value" is perceptibly low; the value much later could be a lot higher. In my case, I *know* I will absorb a lot more of your work a lot later. And that's because you have already established a reputation for quality motivation, research and content. And in my view, extremely valuable content. I come here practically every day; most often from my mobile phone which is only a way of "previewing" your work; and much of it is a fleeting glance; but there is a hell of a lot which will make me come back, in a way that I can absorb it more fully; and this I have become highly dependent upon. Great work DG. Because your work comes with a cast-iron guarantee of usefulness that is timeless. I, for one, would hope that you did not steer your output on the basis of near-term temporal consumption behaviours. (Apols for the jargon, but I think you get my jist)

Jag | Homepage | 01.04.10 - 12:05 a.m. | #

Love the tracing of old rivers. Perhaps there might be an opportunity to trace the boundaries of old London manors, too, sometime?
Keep up the brilliant, highly engaging work.

Waterhouse | 01.04.10 - 1:39 p.m. | #

DG, I'm definitely in that niche and would happily buy a book* of the quality of the posts you've written: it's excellent stuff. I've long wanted to explore London's lost rivers but, typically, haven't done anything about it. So thanks for opening them up, and encouraging me to actually get on with it!

*NB I'm not in marketing! :)

The Ant Man | 01.04.10 - 6:29 p.m. | #

i've enjoyed this series... i love all the ones which show london's hidden side or past... i look forward to the next wet adventure... :)...

tim... | 02.04.10 - 11:30 a.m. | #

Finally back home and go on your blog to find your info on the Falcon as about to follow it - and find I have more rivers to read about. Great - keep going DG
Re book or radio - Yes, when are we going to get that definitive London guide ? Have been writing that question to you since the Fleet!

| 04.04.10 - 1:39 p.m. | #

Totally agree with Jag - the lost rivers series need time to immerse and absorb. I definitely AM for another one next month... please :)

Pavla | 17.04.10 - 9:13 p.m. | #

Your lost rivers series has been great - I'm hoping one day you might venture out to the wilds of Tottenham and follow the Moselle

Johnny Topaz | 14.06.10 - 11:24 p.m. | #

DG, I'm in London in the next few days and intend to walk the course of the Counter's Creek, which I never knew about until I browsed through your archives, and would like to stick as close as possible to the route. Did you have a specific route to follow the creek or did you just stay as close as you could?

dg writes: I tried walking mostly this way, but with no definite specific walking route.

Tetramesh | Homepage | 03.08.14 - 4:16 p.m. | #











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