Rather unusual street. It's broad and open, with a green island running all the way down the middle. It's like someone decided to build a dual carriageway down a back street. Maybe to serve the posh houses but they were built before cars were around!
The answer to the mystery is the New River. This is part of the route of what used to be an aqueduct bringing water to central London. This stretch was covered over in 1870.
While the water is long gone, what remains does provide a nice alternative to walking on the pavement, and a great cut-through between St Paul's Road and Clissold Park. A pleasant if fairly featureless strip of green and mature trees, though the path is mostly not paved and does get muddy. I hear there's daffodils in spring. read more