This is one of a series of posts exploring some of the more obscure parts of London and their past.
If you have arrived on this page from the 2022 calendar, welcome! Thank you very much for buying it (or having it bought for you). I do hope you like the photographs it contains.
If you have arrived here by other means, also welcome.
I hope that however you came upon this page, you find it interesting. If you have any comments, please let me know below.
The New River is not technically a river as it is manmade and neither is it new as it was built back in the early seventeenth century.
Whatever you wish to call it, it runs from somewhere near Hertford to Islington. In Hertfordshire the river above ground, meandering as it follows the contours to stay level. Once it reaches London some of it begins to disappear underground but there are still sections you can view and walk along including these parts between Woodberry Down and Finsbury Park.
The River was opened in 1613 and designed by Sir Hugh Myddleton – you can see his statue at Islington Green and there are a number of roads along the route of the river that bear his name.
I love exploring these areas as they are a ribbon of tranquility behind buildings and beneath busy roads. They are also home to many others including swans and herons.
It is possible to walk almost the entire route of the New River – something else I should do at some point, so watch out for more photographs later!
UPDATE 5th June 2022 – further explorations of the New River have resulted in extra photographs being added, including the river towards its southern end in London and at its early stages out in Hertfordshire!
