Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Keelmen Mural
Conspiracies and monsters abound at Denver Airport.
‘Notre Denver’
Alai Minar
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London The Lost River Fleet

The Lost River Fleet

The largest of London's subterranean rivers and once a mad, bad center of London life.

London, England

Added By
Michelle Enemark
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The mouth of the River Fleet, entering the River Thames beneath the Blackfriars Bridge, London.   Mark S. Jobling/Public Domain
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jondoe_264/87...
The final chamber of the Fleet Sewer.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jondoe_264/87...
The dark opening under the bridge is where the River Fleet joins the Thames.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidcjones/3...
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Ray Street   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
The Coach Inn, Ray Street   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The River Fleet was a part of London life before London was even London. This tributary of the Thames, called the Holburna ("hollow stream") by the Anglo-Saxons, is the largest of London's mysterious lost subterranean rivers. And even before the Anglo-Saxons, the Fleet was a major river used by the Romans.

As London grew during the Middle Ages, the area around Fleet became crowded with industrial and residential buildings, and the river became increasingly choked and polluted. Ironically, the disastrous Great Fire of London gave the ever-growing city a golden opportunity to rethink and rebuild London to better accommodate its skyrocketing population. The Fleet River was no exception. Christopher Wren, famous for designing Saint Paul's Cathedral, tried his hand at re-imagining the river. Modeled after the Great Canal of Venice, Fleet received new stone embankments and was given four decorative bridges—at Bridewell, Fleet Street, Fleet Lane, and Holborn—all high enough to allow the passing of large barges.

Sadly, the barges rarely came, and the under-used canal of Fleet once again became as polluted as the rest of the Thames. The canal-cum-open-sewer became an embarrassment, and was bricked over in phases between the 1730s and 1870s. Incredibly, the Fleet River's history doesn't end there. The quick filling-in of the canal sealed and preserved this piece of history until it was recently uncovered:

"It lay buried for 250 years until Wren's Fleet Street bridge was re-discovered in 1999. Museum curator Simon Thurley studied old maps of the area, and worked in conjunction with the Thames Water authority. Thurley succeeded in finding stones from the western end of Wren's bridge, embedded in brickwork from the 1700's in the Fleet sewer, underneath Ludgate Circus." (Source)

From major river to open sewer, to empty canal, and back to open sewer—then to completely forgotten—the Fleet River today is a huge underworld cavern of Victorian brickwork and London history. Though it has been changed and redirected and polluted and encapsulated by man, the river has never stopped running, rushing unseen, just beneath the sidewalks of London.

We walked the Lost River on Obscura Day - March 20th, 2010 with Tom Bolton, author of the book London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's Guide (Strange Attractor Press).

Related Tags

Water Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

Fleet River can be heard rushing by underneath a grate at Ray Street, Farringdon near the Coach and Horses pub, and through a grid in the center of Charterhouse Street where it joins Farringdon Road.

Access to The Thames River Walk at Blackfriars Bridge is closed due to construction. You can access the River Walk on the eastern side, just can't get to where the River Fleet meets the Thames.

Community Contributors

Added By

michelle

Edited By

SEANETTA, mbison, Meg

  • SEANETTA
  • mbison
  • Meg

Published

February 3, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://pvdl.best.vwh.net/fleet5.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Fleet
  • http://www.sub-urban.com/fleet/
The Lost River Fleet
London, England, SE1 9PD
United Kingdom
51.510833, -0.104444

Nearby Places

'The Seven Ages of Man'

London, England

miles away

The Cockpit

London, England

miles away

Whitefriars Crypt

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 108

Nearby Places

'The Seven Ages of Man'

London, England

miles away

The Cockpit

London, England

miles away

Whitefriars Crypt

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 108

Related Stories and Lists

A History Buff's Guide to Medieval London

essential guide

By Meg Neal

London’s Plague Pits Map Shows Where the Black Death Got Buried

subterranean

By Lex Berko

Infiltrating London: Subterranean Exploration in the British Capital

subterranean

By Darmon Richter

Related Places

  • Parma, Italy

    Gallery delle Fontane

    A completely underground tour following the path of the most precious element: water.

  • Lac Souterrain de Saint-Léonard

    Saint-Léonard, Switzerland

    Lac Souterrain de Saint-Léonard

    The largest underground lake in Europe.

  • Qanat Gesuiitico Basso in Palermo

    Palermo, Italy

    Qanat di Palermo

    A network of underground water channels that dates back to the Middle Ages.

  • Orvieto, Italy

    Pozzo della Cava

    Nine caves filled with recently-discovered archaeological finds under the houses and the streets of the most ancient district of an old town.

  • The entrance to the Mine

    Daroca, Spain

    La Mina de Daroca

    This tunnel was built in order to protect the village of Daroca from flash floods during rainy seasons.

  • Underneath Molle Street

    Hobart, Australia

    Hobart Rivulet

    This urban stream flowing underneath Tasmania's capital city is also an unofficial gallery for street artists.

  • Entrance to the cave

    Rožanstvo, Serbia

    Stopića Cave

    Through the colossal entrance to this cave you'll find limestone tubs and an underground waterfall.

  • Pertosa Caves.

    Muraglione, Italy

    Pertosa Caves

    Ride a boat through this magnificent underground world, which now doubles as a theater.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.