| Item Description: | The River Westbourne is a river in London, England which flows from Whitestone Pond on Hampstead Heath down through Hyde Park to Sloane Square and then into the River Thames at Chelsea. When Belgravia, Chelsea and Paddington were developed, it became necessary to drive the river Westbourne underground in order to build over it. The river was therefore directed into pipes in the early part of the nineteenth century, work which was completed in the 1850s. Since then, the Westbourne has been one of the lost rivers of London, running underground in a pipe. The pipe can still be seen running above the platform of Sloane Square tube station. The pipe is the original one constructed in the nineteenth century. Although the station was badly bombed during the Battle of Britain in November 1940, the old iron pipe was not damaged. The river falls into the river Thames about 300 yards (270 m) west of Chelsea Bridge. This outfall, from a pipe now called the Ranelagh Sewer, can still be seen at low tide.
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