Kings Cross to Blackfriars

Qualified London Guide Rob Smith will take you on a two hour walk following the last part of the largest of London’s hidden rivers, the River Fleet. His infectious enthusiasm for history will bring the journey to life.

You will hear about slums and slaughterhouses, poverty and prisons, and the purgative properties of the famous spa waters. The River Fleet was once the Western boundary of the Roman City of London running sweet and clear. Find out how it degenerated into an open sewer, its banks crowded with the worst slums in London. Stand on the sites of notorious prisons and see the vast Victorian engineering feats including railways and viaducts. We end the tour close to the spot where the Fleet exits into the Thames.

 Although the River Fleet is far below ground it can make its presence felt in more ways than one so we will put our senses to the test.

Starts at Kings Cross Station (outside the underground exit to Euston Road).