London's Lost Rivers - Book and Walking Tours by Paul Talling
  • Home
  • London's Lost Rivers
    • River Peck
    • River Effra
    • River Moselle
    • The Black Ditch
    • Bollo Brook
    • The Cock & Pye Ditch
    • Counter's Creek
    • Earl's Sluice
    • Falcon Brook
    • Carbuncle Ditch
    • River Fleet
    • River Neckinger
    • Parr's Ditch
    • Hackney Brook
    • Pudding Mill River
    • Rotherhithe Mill Streams
    • Stamford Brook
    • River Tyburn
    • Tyburn Brook
    • River Walbrook
    • Muswell Stream
    • River Westbourne
  • London's Lost Canals
    • City Canal
    • Croydon Canal
    • Cumberland Arm
    • Grand Surrey Canal
    • Grosvenor Canal
    • Kensington Canal
    • Romford Canal
    • Royal Arsenal Canal
    • The Royal Gunpowder Mills Canals
  • Author's Guided Walks
    • River Fleet Walk
    • River Westbourne Walk
    • River Tyburn Walk
    • Lost Rivers of Hampstead Walk
    • River Moselle (aka Moselle Brook) walk
    • Battersea's Lost Rivers
    • Lost Docks of Wapping Walk
    • Grand Surrey Canal Walk
    • Woolwich - Dockyard & Royal Arsenal Canal Walk
    • Isle of Dogs Canal and Millwall Docks Walk
    • Derelict Limehouse & Poplar Walk
    • Derelict Silvertown walk
    • River Peck/Earl's Sluice
    • Bow Creek
    • River Neckinger walk
    • Croydon Canal Walk
    • Hammersmith Walk
    • East Finchley to Gospel Oak
    • Whitechapel and Bethnal Green walk
    • Minories to Poplar
    • Bridges of London
  • London's Lesser Known Rivers
    • Beverley Brook
    • Bow Backs Rivers
    • River Brent
    • River Ching
    • River Crane
    • River Cray
    • River Darent
    • Dead River
    • Dollis Brook
    • Duke of Northumberland's River
    • River Ember
    • Hogsmill River
    • River Lea
    • River Mole
    • The New River
    • River Pool
    • River Ravensbourne
    • River Roding
    • The Silk Stream
    • River Wandle
    • Yeading Brook
  • Buy The Book Here
    • Sample Chapter
    • Reviews
  • Contact/Mailing List
  • Advertising on London's Lost Rivers
  • Privacy Policy/Cookies
  • London's Lost Music Venues
  • Home
  • London's Lost Rivers
    • River Peck
    • River Effra
    • River Moselle
    • The Black Ditch
    • Bollo Brook
    • The Cock & Pye Ditch
    • Counter's Creek
    • Earl's Sluice
    • Falcon Brook
    • Carbuncle Ditch
    • River Fleet
    • River Neckinger
    • Parr's Ditch
    • Hackney Brook
    • Pudding Mill River
    • Rotherhithe Mill Streams
    • Stamford Brook
    • River Tyburn
    • Tyburn Brook
    • River Walbrook
    • Muswell Stream
    • River Westbourne
  • London's Lost Canals
    • City Canal
    • Croydon Canal
    • Cumberland Arm
    • Grand Surrey Canal
    • Grosvenor Canal
    • Kensington Canal
    • Romford Canal
    • Royal Arsenal Canal
    • The Royal Gunpowder Mills Canals
  • Author's Guided Walks
    • River Fleet Walk
    • River Westbourne Walk
    • River Tyburn Walk
    • Lost Rivers of Hampstead Walk
    • River Moselle (aka Moselle Brook) walk
    • Battersea's Lost Rivers
    • Lost Docks of Wapping Walk
    • Grand Surrey Canal Walk
    • Woolwich - Dockyard & Royal Arsenal Canal Walk
    • Isle of Dogs Canal and Millwall Docks Walk
    • Derelict Limehouse & Poplar Walk
    • Derelict Silvertown walk
    • River Peck/Earl's Sluice
    • Bow Creek
    • River Neckinger walk
    • Croydon Canal Walk
    • Hammersmith Walk
    • East Finchley to Gospel Oak
    • Whitechapel and Bethnal Green walk
    • Minories to Poplar
    • Bridges of London
  • London's Lesser Known Rivers
    • Beverley Brook
    • Bow Backs Rivers
    • River Brent
    • River Ching
    • River Crane
    • River Cray
    • River Darent
    • Dead River
    • Dollis Brook
    • Duke of Northumberland's River
    • River Ember
    • Hogsmill River
    • River Lea
    • River Mole
    • The New River
    • River Pool
    • River Ravensbourne
    • River Roding
    • The Silk Stream
    • River Wandle
    • Yeading Brook
  • Buy The Book Here
    • Sample Chapter
    • Reviews
  • Contact/Mailing List
  • Advertising on London's Lost Rivers
  • Privacy Policy/Cookies
  • London's Lost Music Venues
London's Lost Rivers - Book and Walking Tours by Paul Talling

London's Lost Canals - Kensington Canal

London's Lost Canals: Chelsea Creek running alongside Lots Road Power Station is a surviving reminder of Counter's Creek and the long lost Kensington Canal
Chelsea Creek running alongside Lots Road Power Station
 Neglected section of Chelsea Creek aka the Kensington Canal entrance behind Lots Road Power Station. Once known as the Counter's Creek one of London's lost rivers
A small neglected section of the Kensington Canal entrance
As covered in the Lost Rivers section The Counter's Creek originates in the Kensal Green area flowing south through Little Wormwood Scrubs, North Kensington, Earls Court then between Chelsea FC’s  Stamford Bridge & Brompton Cemetery to Chelsea Creek, where it flows into the Thames. beside Lots Road Power Station. Counter’s Creek was mainly a backwater for carrying sewerage down to the Thames and no records suggest that it was navigable until part of it was made into a canal in 1828.

The lower two miles of Counter’s Creek were made into a 100 feet wide channel called the Kensington Canal. The income from the canal was less than anticipated and a commercial failure. It was bought up by a railway company in 1839. The canal was filled in between Olympia and the Kings Road and utilised by the West London Railway and helped form an extension of the railway line southwards across the Thames to Clapham Junction. The canal continued in its shortened form for barges delivering coal to Lots Road power station (which powered the London Underground network) on Chelsea Creek. This last commercial operation on the canal was ended in the 1960s after the power station converted from burning coal to oil.

Modern day evidence can be seen either side of Lots Road Bridge - Looking towards the Thames is Chelsea Creek beside the disused power station and on the other side of the bridge a small neglected section of  the canal entrance. The railway crosses Stamford Bridge which gives you a view of the old watercourse which is now a railway line. Here on the east side of the line there are  some canal side cottages dating from 1846. 
 Derelict remains of a lost London canal - the original Kensington Canal bridge at West Brompton Station station
Possible remains of a canal bridge at West Brompton Station station
decaying reminder of the original Kensington Canal bridge at West Brompton Station station
Possible remains of a canal bridge at West Brompton Station station
London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling. All images are copyright.