I’m submerged by the River Fleet.

Not on its long-buried, effluent-choked course through Camden to join the Thames (thank goodness), but up in the beloved swimming ponds of Hampstead Heath, originally dammed for reservoirs back in the 1700s at the point where the waters rise.

A mediative sunset circuit in the Men’s Pond this week filled my mind with a lifetime of experiences along the ‘banks’ of this river; despite the fact its sinuous passage has remained hidden throughout.

The Fleet still holds an evocative romance for Londoners - which is pretty good going for a sewer.

All hint of ancient bucolic origins have been subsumed into Joseph Bazalgatte’s wastewater masterpiece, (but it’s nice to know that Victorian attention to detail means it is at least honoured with cathedral-like arches and decorative ironwork as flows through the darkness beneath our feet).

Occasionally, it makes itself known above ground, regardless. In my earliest years, walks in search of muddy puddles on the Heath passed along Millfield Lane, which persistently had water streaming down it, the Fleet bubbling up through the ever-crumbling surface of the road.

The forked Hampstead and Highgate tributaries pincer past my primary and secondary schools, respectively. Formative years of learning unsuspectingly spent in a dowser’s playground.

I scored early work experience at The Observer back then, when the paper was still based on the famous Street which takes the river’s name, at the tail end of newsprint’s hot metal heyday.

Later, I studied near the river’s basin, at the then London College of Printing building beside the river at Farringdon, where the Thameslink track still unmistakably marks its widening course.

Elsewhere too, the muscle memory of the river beneath determines our environment today. The handsome curve of the Great Northern Hotel and King’s Cross station; the undulating bends of King’s Cross Road; Holborn Viaduct spanning its valley. And where the land has been more dramatically bent towards human utility, the waters still inexorably flow, even if they must briefly pass above, as when carried in a pipe over the gorge of the Suffragette (Goblin!) Line near Tufnell Park.

How we have danced along these banks, too. From Bagley’s warehouse and the glammed-up coal drops of The Cross to the gin store catacombs of Turnmills, the Fleet was reliably babbling alongside the hedonistic mayhem afoot in those hallowed spaces, where we gathered religiously each weekend, and culture and community would ignite after dark.

Of those mighty nightlife hubs, only fabric remains today, another venue that owes its very existence to the river, its waterside pitch favoured by livestock traders, which then grew into the vast infrastructure of Smithfield Market.

One night, I kissed a girl above the river (in middle of the road beside St Pancras Station, to be exact) which started a seven-year romance. On the banks of the Fleet, I co-edited and produced the monthly newspaper, Kentishtowner, for six years, celebrating the evolution of the 12th century Ken-ditch settlement, the area most likely having been named after the bed of the waterway.

I remain living on the banks today, the ones that bare the river under Gospel Oak and around to Spring Place, where once tanners, butchers and a large watercolour paint factory (now the acclaimed photographic facilities, Spring Studios) were drawn to the marshy land.

At last month’s Alma Street Fair, locals hung a microphone down the drain in the middle of Ferdinand St so revelers could take a moment to hear the echoey rush of the Fleet. The occasion was, perhaps, the nearest thing to casting a line to happen there since nearby Angler’s Lane was a popular fishing spot.

Lost eras, lifetimes, industrial buildings reimagined, great fires, numerous wells (including Clerkenwell) dug in Anglo-Saxon times – the only constant in a city like ours is the passage of water downstream.

Perhaps that’s why we cling to the story of the Fleet as a rare source of permanence, defying the unsettling march of progress up above with its endless, reliably constant flow.

It’s a lot to contemplate on a gentle swim round the ponds but, though we can’t see it, this historic local waterway contains it all.

FOOD & DRINK

Grand courtyards and suntrap terraces upon which to go all-out al fresco

🦞 Refusing to be outdone by the bumping sunshine rooftop terrace of The Standard hotel opposite, the Midland Grand Dining Room have launched their own open-air oasis, The Courtyard by Victor Garvey. There’s a seafood bar, poshed-up pub classics and decadent drinks menu on offer for those seeking respite from the thundering madness of Euston Rd. It’s tucked away under the ornate arches of St Pancras, and there’s live music and DJ sets Thurs-Sun all summer.

🍹 London’s latest rooftop terrace is La-Yam, right atop Holborn tube station, where there’s a Greek-influenced menu, Friday night parties and popular bottomless beach BBQ-style Asado Sunday roasts, too.

🌞 Camden music pub The Dark Horse have officially opened Chalk Farm Road’s proper suntrap rooftop terrace, formerly the slightly confusing Mexican proposition the Lucky Club. Now it’s much easier to understand - decent sharing platters, pizzas and lots of nice banquettes to laze in, plus a bit of dancing if you fancy.

🥯 Not content with having just opened their pretty ‘n pink new branch at Parliament Hill a mere handful of weeks ago, but Sourdough Sophia opened in Hampstead over the weekend, too. Expect top notch bread and pastries, which will need to stand up against the stiff competition of the Village’s vast existing array of patisseries, bakeries and posh cafes, but we think they’re more than up to the challenge.

FESTIVALS

Hot fiestas to choose from in the ‘hood

🎺 The Council are back throwing another big street party on Camden High Street’s trial pedestrianised section this Sat 12th Jul, as Camden at 60: Summer Sounds offers loads of local musicians and national talent, all performing live and for free (and luckily this one doesn’t involve a ticketing system, either).

🎶 Up at Ally Pally, the annual Kaleidoscope Festival takes over the grounds and the Victorian Palace basement on Sat 12th Jul, with big names like Faithless and Goldie on the main stage, DJs inc. Eats Everything and Spoony on the Cloud 10 stage, and comedy from the likes of Shappi Khorsandi on the Fringe Stage, plus loads of family activities and a hidden cabaret speakeasy.

🥻 Back for its phenomenal 33rd year, Camden Mela will be drawing thousands to Coram’s Fields this Sun 13th Jul for the annual celebration of British diversity that has grown up from a small local Bangladeshi community initiative. Expect masses to see and do for all ages,, and it’s free to enjoy.

🐌 The Idler Festival is back at Fenton House in Hampstead all weekend, Fri 11th - Sun 13th, and there are a few tickets left to be entertained and enlightened by thinkers, comedians, writers, and musicians including Michael Palin, Emma Thompson, Stewart Lee and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. There’ll be Swing and Regency dancing, walks, singing, ukulele, beekeeping and loafing in the sun under the apple trees.

KING’S CROSS

Damian Lewis’ dinosaurs lead the way to Lightroom

I took a trip to the launch of Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs this week - the latest specially-made show to land at Cubitt Square’s Lightroom. It takes the acclaimed ultra-lifelike CGI of the Apple TV+’s show, and puts you in the middle of a room with full sized renditions of these ancient monsters.

There’s fun to be had comparing your height with some of the bigguns, while Damian Lewis’ narration hits all the familiar softly-spoken-but-excitable Attenborough notes, and a new Hans Zimmer score adds to the drama.

The dinosaurs roam across all four sides of the room, and the summer holiday crowd will doubtless squeal at some of the ‘he’s behind you’ realisations that always make a visit to this immersive space a physical experience.

As per a classic Attenborough, we see plenty of fighting and hunting, some births and some deaths, and even a family-friendly dinosaur love scene. It’s fairly light on the detail, but there are still some neat revelations about the origins of all living creatures, and perhaps an unspoken environmental message that, despite all we throw at the natural world, something else is very likely to be roaming here long after we’re gone.

More to see and do nearby…

💡 Do check out the stunning new public artwork RIVA by architecture and design studio Mamou-Mani, which flows like an illuminated upside down wave made of 3D printed origami lattice hinges. You can enjoy it at Two Pancras Square, and it fits in very nicely with this edition of Camdenist’s River Fleet theme, the route of which runs just a few steps further down King’s Boulevard, of course.

♻️ Our friends from Hackney Wick’s circular economy hub, Are You Mad, have opened a pop-up recycling lab operating in a big unit at Coal Drops Yard, daily until 27th Jul. There will be hands-on upcycling, fashion and hard or soft plastics workshops and lots to explore to demonstrate just a few ways that cool new things can be made from waste.

🦊 It’s a double header of quality KX favourite markets this Sat & Sun 12th-13th Jul in you’re in the mood to peruse. The Illustrators’ Fair has traders offering illustrated prints, zines, comics and more in Granary Square tomorrow, while on Sunday, the Crafty Fox Market summer special sees over 100 designer-makers selling handmade jewellery, artwork, clothing, ceramics, homeware and other delightful things.

…and some of your comments

“The UK tax system on alcohol being one of the highest in Europe and the world has forced young people look elsewhere. While data is difficult to gather on the subject, this has surely made drugs far more appealing when comparing to other European countries. Australian high taxes on alcohol have inadvertently created similar growth in drug usage.”

“Many kids haven't been taught about the effects of alcohol so they get drunk often without really putting a thought into what they're drinking.”

“It's such bizarre discourse. I'm sober but love the notion behind your piece.”

“I can’t abide the puritanical conservative mindset that sees young people’s early misadventures with booze as something that must be prohibited and panicked over. Getting to know alcohol is a vital part of our cultural education no matter what we think of its darker sides. We own it to youngsters to have a more grown-up relationship with the stuff.”

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