London's Lost Rivers - Book and Walking Tours by Paul Talling
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  • 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
    • 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
  • 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
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  • 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
    • 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
  • 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
Muswell Stream

​London's Lost Rivers - MUSWELL STREAM

London's Lost Rivers - water related streetnames - Muswell Road, N10
Muswell Stream. London's Lost Rivers - water related streetnames - Wellfield Road, N10
Water related clues in street names of N10
Muswell Stream. London's Lost Rivers - water related streetnames - Cranbourne Road, N10
From Muswell Hill to Bounds Green and across the North Circular by Green Lanes and emptying into Pymmes Brook, a tributary of the Lea, behind the bus garage in Palmers Green.

North London’s Muswell Hill is named after a mossy hill ('Mosse-Hill') and a well (the "Mossy Well") on land given in the 12th century by the Bishop of London to an order of nuns for use as a dairy farm. The present day Muswell Road, N10 is the location  of the "Mossy Well" where the well still exists but is capped beneath a private house. The Mus Well was dedicated to Mary and because it was said to have great healing properties, it became the subject of pilgrimages. The nuns built a chapel on the site and called it ‘Our Lady of Muswell’. A Tudor Historian described how a King of the Scots was cured of a disease by taking the waters of this well.  The Mus Well is the main source of three headstreams rising on the slopes of the hill forming the Muswell Stream.


The Wood Green and Hornsey Steam laundry was known to use water from the Muswell Stream in the 1890s. The chimney of this old laundry still stands.

In 1875, one of  the headstreams of the Muswell Stream was channelled into three ornamental lakes in Alexandra Park in the grounds of Alexandra Palace. This section of the park was sold off in 1899 for the construction of housing. The lakes were drained and the river culverted to make way for the building of Grove Avenue & Rosebery Road. 

Culverting of the rest of the lower part of the  stream took place in the 1920s and 1930s. The area between Muswell Hill and Bounds Green became particularly liable to flooding following heavy summer thunderstorms when the culverted stream cannot cope resulting in considerable damage to the contents of the properties. Large water retention tanks which hold large volumes of water during a storm were installed underneath a recreation ground and more tanks are proposed.
The Lost Muswell Stream. The present day Muswell Road, N10 is the location  of the
Muswell Rd - the location of the well
The Wood Green and Hornsey Steam laundry was known to use water from the Muswell Stream in the 1890s. The chimney of this old laundry still stands.
The site of the steam laundry
The Muswell Stream empties into Pymmes Brook at Palmers Green. London's Lost Rivers.
The Stream empties into Pymmes Brook at Palmers Green
London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling. All images are copyright.