Fragments of River Westbourne
- Tomomi Tomlin
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
The River Westbourne starts in Hampstead and flows through West Hampstead, Kilburn, Maida Vale, Westbourne Green, Bayswater, Hyde Park, and Knightsbridge before eventually joining the Thames in Chelsea. The details of the watercourse are well documented in https://theundergroundmap.substack.com/p/the-river-westbourne.
The following sections present the fragments of objects, conversations, and sounds gathered above the River Westbourne.
The Origin
To begin collecting 'Fragments', I visited Whitestone Pond, Judge's Walk, and Branch Hill in Hampstead.
Date: 27 March 2025
Time: 11:38 - 12:14
Weather: 14°C Mostly sunny
Conversations: No conversations were recorded as only a pair of Egyptian Geese were around. Instead, I captured several words on signs and cars in this area. They are:
Keep off the ice
Majestic
Food Poverty for Us
SALVO
Swiss Cottage
Sounds:
Objects found:
Kilburn
Next, I collected fragments from Kilburn High Street and the surrounding area. The location was busy with traffic and people.
Date: 1 April 2025
Time: 12:21 - 13:16
Weather: 13°C Sunny
Conversations: A busy high street with traffic noise and many conversations in languages I don't know. The fragments of conversations I could catch are:
Did you sign up for...
Stand clear, this vehicle turning left
Which family?
Oh, come on!
Not dancing on the bench, please.
We are back.
...and then a woman.
It's so windy
I was thinking that...
One, two, three, four, ...
Caution, vehicle turning left
Feel for blossoms
Sounds:
Objects found:
Serpentine in Hyde Park
A few days later, I went to Serpentine in Hyde Park, packed with tourists and people who came for a picnic and a walk, enjoying spring weather.
Date: 4 April 2025
Time: 16:14 - 16:57
Weather: 20°C Mostly cloudy
Conversations: The most dominant sounds were water birds calling and conversations of people in various languages I don't speak. The fragments of conversations I caught are:
I'll give you two.
Oh, so you have a good foundation.
I can give you a tip.
... makes difference.
I have much more headspace.
After two weeks, I went to look for...
He died.
Hello birdies!
People ask me...
What's the plan?
...and the train got cancelled and we got late.
Everything is falling through.
Sounds:
Objects found:
Chelsea Quay
The last location for the River Westbourne was Chelsea Quay, where the waterway joins the River Thames. The quay sticks out to the river, and a few benches and an information board explain the local area's history and London's water systems.
Date: 11 April 2025
Time: 12:23 - 12:48
Weather: 17°C Mostly sunny
Conversations: The main sounds were the machinery from the construction work on the river and traffic from the busy road by the quay. A few people were quietly having lunch on the bench. The only conversation I heard was:
I don't know, this morning was 8°C but now...
Sounds:
Objects found:
Reflections and Insights
As I moved from the source to its outflow into the River Thames, objects became more human-made than nature-made. However, even in the busy areas, I could still find twigs and fallen petals on the ground, which made me feel hopeful. This reminds me of something I have read somewhere: London is one of the greenest cities in the world, and seeing (ex-)green objects on the streets everywhere made sense. I wondered how greener London used to be when the River Westbourne ran with full water.
Funnily enough, people in London like to enjoy alcoholic beverages along the River Westbourne no matter where they are, as I collected beer bottle caps or a champagne cork from each location. Also, the choice of beverages would indicate who might be there. Furthermore, I can now see some ring and round objects in each location. These shapes make me feel harmony, amicability, and relaxed.
Another interesting observation is that the objects give us ideas about the characteristics of the areas. For example, you see more natural objects around Whitestone Pond, which is surrounded by trees and is visited mainly by locals. In contrast, Serpentine's collection tells us there are tourists and many birds in the area.
It has been done unconsciously, but how I presented collections from Kilburn reflects the chaotic vibes of the area. My impression of each location might have influenced how I placed the found objects. It would be interesting to ask someone else to collect 'Fragments' at Kilburn, for instance, and see what comes out of it.
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