Victorian Stinkpipe Spotting in Finchley

This week’s Monday Running adventure was a little unusual, as I set off in search of a lesser-known but fascinating piece of Victorian street architecture; the stinkpipe. So, the first question is, what on earth is a stinkpipe?

London in the 1850’s was a rapidly growing city, with a sewer system totally unable to cope with the expanding population. Sewerage ran straight into the River Thames, leading to cholera outbreaks claiming over 30,000 lives. The smell grew so unbearable, especially during the hot summer of 1858 known as ‘The Great Stink’, that Parliament considered moving out of London altogether, before deciding on passing legislation for a dramatic overhaul of the entire London sewer network. Part of this saw the installation of hundreds, if not thousands of sewer vent pipes, known as stinkpipes, to release the dangerous and foul-smelling gases high above the heads of London residents. You can still see many stinkpipes dotted around today, in fact, you have probably walked past them without realising! Looking somewhat like a wide metal lamppost with no light attached, these hollow and often ornate pipes can be found on pavements all over the city.

My adventure this week was inspired by the 12th in the series of Camino Ultra’s Blueway Challenges, which has taken me out each month to discover a new stretch of London’s green spaces and waterways. Route 12 is the stinkpipe challenge, where participants can either join in with a group social run, or create their own route taking in at least three stinkpipes along the way. No complete map of their location seems to exist, but my research stumbled along this local map of a cluster of stinkpipes in Finchley, and my plan was hatched.

I chose to start in a corner of Finchley close to the Dollis Valley Greenwalk, a charming little path winding alongside the Dollis Brook, which I followed for a couple of peaceful miles before heading into the town. Rounding a corner into a residential road, I soon spotted my first pipe! This particular specimen was manufactured by the H.J. Rogers company of Watford in around 1900. It soon became clear that these Victorian ironmongers took a lot of pride in their creations. Despite their rather mundane usage, the stinkpipes I saw were decorated in surprisingly ornate and individual styles, some even topped with a crown. Within just a few km, I soon spotted 10 different pipes from several different manufacturers, each a small flagpole of the complex unseen network of sewer pipes running underneath our feet.

My favourite spot of the day came in a little alleyway called Lovers walk. I had expected to find a stinkpipe around halfway down the alley, but it was nowhere in sight. Taking a pause to backtrack for a moment, my eyes caught on something that looked like a giant ivy-covered chimney. Sure enough, on closer inspection, the pipe was there underneath, almost completely reclaimed by nature.

I really enjoyed this week’s run as it gave me a reason to slow down, pause and take a closer look at a feature of our London streets that I haven’t paid much attention to before now. Why not keep an eye out on your travels and let me know if you spot any special stinkpipes!