Plaque

Fleet River tributary - Mount Pleasant

Inscription

{Around the edge:}
The hidden River Fleet flows nearby.

Fleet Valley Pocket Park
Nearby flows a tributary from what was once pasture land in Queen Square.  This feeder to the River Fleet also defined the parish boundary. Rising in Hampstead Heath, the Fleet passes underground on its way to the River Thames.

The plaque's prominent reference to Queen Square is confusing. The map at Dead End Street shows a Fleet tributary near Queen Square but it does not run anywhere near the site of this plaque.  Perhaps this placement was a late choice due to problems with the location originally planned.

Site: Fleet River tributary - Mount Pleasant (1 memorial)

WC1, Mount Pleasant, Fleet Valley Pocket Park

We first heard of this plaque at Bex Chilvers: "An unusual project for Atelier Works. The opportunity to design something to be cast in iron doesn’t happen every day. This plaque with site-specific text distorted as if under water is one of a growing number, set in the ground and marking the route of London’s hidden River Fleet which is now entirely built over. This particular plaque has an unusual location, set in to a new skatepark ‘volcano’ flat top." And there's a photo showing it in place on the volcano.

The location was so unusual we thought we'd find it easily, but  failed.  When you can't find a memorial supposedly in a skate park in the neighbourhood, "Who you gonna call?"  A skate boarder, that's who. We are grateful to Sam Hewitt (keen skateboarder) who found it for us.

The plaque is not positioned as shown at Bex Chilvers, apparently because skate-boarders were using the 'volcano' for skating on. (We thought that was the intention.) The plaque is laid into the flat paving between the two yellow seats in the background of our photo.  

In the photo you can also see a tiled 'river' twisting across the site.  It is inscribed:
"These are the currents that chiselled the city,
That washed the clothes and turned the mills,
Where children drank and salmon swam,
And wells were holy."
These lines are from a poem about the lost rivers of London, 'Rising Damp' by U. A. Fanthorpe.

We also noticed another series of plaques here. At least 12 small round bronze-like plaques have been attached to the pavement which surrounds the rain garden. Each is only about 6 inches across and each has a unique design carrying an environmental or equality message.  Hunting for these would be fun for children - let us know if there are more than 12.

In this 1871 map it's this triangle which is labelled 'Mount Pleasant' whereas nowadays that name is used for a street and also the area around what used to be the Mount Pleasant Sorting Office. Also note on that map - the 'course of River Fleet' is marked.

Green Blue Urban describes the thinking behind the design of Fleet Valley Pocket Park. An information board on site explains that these planted areas operate as a sustainable drainage system (SuDS). With heavy rainfall this absorbs and holds water, releasing it slowly into the local system, thus reducing the risk of the sewers flooding. The SuDS also helps to clean the water that passes through. See Thames 21 for a fuller explanation.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Fleet River tributary - Mount Pleasant

Subjects commemorated i

River Fleet

Dead End Street has a useful map showing the route of the old Fleet River and...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Fleet River tributary - Mount Pleasant

Created by i

Atelier Works

From their website: "We are an award-winning design agency, with over 30 year...

Read More

Camden Council

The Town Hall in Euston Road once housed these interesting murals by Cecil Os...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Dulwich Picture Gallery - stone

Dulwich Picture Gallery - stone

SE21, Gallery Road

We cannot find what occasion this stone was laid for.

1 creator
Wesleyan Schools, Leswin Road - plaque 06

Wesleyan Schools, Leswin Road - plaque 06

N16, Leswin Road, 41

We are not confident in the transcription of the first name and initial.

1 subject commemorated
Kennington Palace

Kennington Palace

SE11, Kennington Lane, 154 - 182, Edinburgh House

Diamond Geezer reports "... the triangle of land bounded by Kennington Lane, Cardigan Street and Sancroft Street remains under the contro...

2 subjects commemorated
Deptford Station

Deptford Station

SE8, Deptford High Street

August 2019: We were informed by Ste Ríkharðsson via Facebook that the plaque went missing following the renovation of the station in 201...

1 subject commemorated
Kenneth Williams - WC1

Kenneth Williams - WC1

WC1, Marchmont Street, 57

Unveiled by Nicholas Parsons and Bill Pertwee.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators

Previously viewed

Frank Twydale Dear

Frank Twydale Dear

Architect of John Street and/or Bedford Row, our source, The Vauxhall Society, is unclear. So many records (as at April 2022) can be found on the internet claiming that the Stockwell War Memorial ...

Person, Architecture

1 memorial
Daily Mirror newspaper

Daily Mirror newspaper

Tabloid newspaper.  Created by Alfred Harmsworth, initially as a paper for women by women but the following year he changed it to be a picture paper with a male editor and he fired all the female j...

Group, Journalism / Publishing

1 memorial
W. E. Holding

W. E. Holding

Name on one of the main panels of the East Ham WW1 memorial.

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Francois Rabelais

Francois Rabelais

Writer and physician. Born France, between 1483 and 1494, but probably November 1494. Became a monk and studied Latin and Greek, then left to study medicine. Died Paris.

Person, Literature, Medicine, Politics & Administration, Religion, France

1 memorial
W. C. Harvey

W. C. Harvey

Name on one of the corner plaques of the East Ham WW1 memorial.

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial