The River Heathwall, more often known as the Heathwall Sewer,[1][2] Heathwall Ditch or Heathwall Mill Pond[3] was a set of field drainage ditches and a large mill pond in Battersea, London. It had two outlets into the tidal Thames and its inland section roughly followed Wandsworth Road. Its eastern outlet was at Nine Elms.[4]
| River Heathwall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Heathwall Pumping Station, Nine Elms Lane | |
 1830 map of Battersea, showing a Mill Pond (bottom right) fed by the River Heathwall, where it goes to join the Thames | |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Thames Basin |
The Greenwoods' map of 1827 confirms the mill pond served a tide mill, harnessing of the locally great tidal energy.[5] The generic prototype may have such a mill in the nascent City of London, in Roman Britain.[6]
The river was covered in 1866, as was the nearby Falconbrook. Pumping stations were added for the drainage of northern Battersea and to allow for widespread development.[1][7] Heathwall Pumping Station is now part of the Thames Tideway Scheme.[8]
Further reading
edit- Jon Newman, The Heathwall: Battersea's Buried River (2019, Backwater Books ISBN 9781916129108)
References
edit- ^ a b Institution of Civil Engineers (1875). Minutes of proceedings. p. 162.
- ^ Metropolitan Board of Works (1882). Minutes of proceedings. p. 746.
- ^ Metcalf, Priscilla (1972). Victorian London. New York, Praeger. p. 82.
- ^ "The Lost River Of London You've Never Heard Of: The Heathwall". Londonist. 25 November 2019.
- ^ Christopher and John Greenwood's's 8 inches to the mile 6 sheet map, 1827
- ^ Spain, Rob: "A possible Roman Tide Mill", Paper submitted to the Kent Archaeological Society
- ^ "The Junction History". VisitClaphamJunction.com.
- ^ "Heathwall Pumping Station". Bazalgette Tunnel Limited.