You may already know that London is home to plenty of lost rivers , many of which were built over and have, over the centuries, become part of the city’s sewer system. While not officially ‘lost’ rivers, two waterways in north London flowing through the boroughs of Harrow and Barnet have become all but invisible in the last few decades. Burnt Oak Brook and Edgware Brook are going to be given a new lease of life thanks to ‘Action for Silk Stream’, a new restoration scheme run by the charity Thames21.
The scheme aims to restore local waterways to their former glory, which in turn will make them less likely to flood. Over the years, Burnt Oak Brook and Edgware Brook had been modified to fit into London as it expanded: artificially straightened, deepened, and had their banks reinforced. On top of making them polluted and more prone to flooding, these man-made interventions also have reduced biodiversity and made the rivers less hospitable for plants and animals.
It’s hoped that the restoration scheme will change this. It’ll remove the two rivers from their concrete channels and make them more prominent in their local areas so that residents – and wildlife – can more easily enjoy them. At the moment, both rivers are so hidden away that many locals apparently have no idea they even exist.
As part of the scheme, the parks in which the Burnt Oak Brook and Edgware Brook respectively run through – Watling Park and Chandos Park – will also receive improvements, inc.