Consider that until a few hundred years ago, the Tyburn was one of the rivers providing fresh water to London. We are standing in front of the Shepherd’s Well Plaque. It marks one of the two original sources of the Tyburn River. The other source was in Belsize Park.
This plaque commemorates the Shepherd’s Well. It was once a vital source of clean drinking water for Hampstead. People even sold the water by the bucketload. The inscription reads that this fountain is erected near the site of an ancient conduit known as the Shepherd’s Well, for the good of the public.
The Tyburn River played a key role in shaping London’s West End. It flowed from the Hampstead hills to the River Thames. The river passed under wealthy areas like Marylebone and Westminster. It even went near Buckingham Palace.
The name Tyburn comes from “teoburne”. This means “boundary stream” or “two streams” in early medieval English. Before 1066, the Tyburn was a boundary between estates. As London grew, the river continued to define boundary lines.
In the mid-1200s, London built a channel to carry water from the Tyburn. This channel was called the Great Conduit. It supplied water to residents as far as Cheapside. The Great Fire of London destroyed it in 1666.
By the early 1800s, the Tyburn remained a clear stream. Other rivers were polluted with rubbish and sewage. Regent’s Park Boating Lake was created using water from the Tyburn.
However, by the 1830s, the Tyburn was underground up to Primrose Hill. As Hampstead developed, it was fully underground. In the 1860s, the Tyburn became a waste sewer. It flowed between Hampstead and Westminster.
In the late 1700s, Lord Loughborough tried to stop locals from getting water from the well. He owned the land and enclosed it. In 1878, Edward Walford described the well as a small and dirty swamp. The New River Company had supplied Hampstead with water. So, the conduit became neglected.
Today, the Tyburn Angling Society campaigns to restore the river. They want to bring it back to the surface. It could become a habitat for trout and salmon. This would require demolishing expensive properties, including Buckingham Palace. But it could bring London’s watery heritage back for all to enjoy. This Shepherd’s Well Plaque reminds us of the Tyburn’s importance to London’s history.