THE WANDLE

Loose yourself In The River

A sense of place,

A trail of sorts,

A living space

THE GOALS

This video project acts as a library of the River Wandle with; recorded walks, memories from the community and the creative response of local artists.The project will have mid-points, where the results will be published and publicly shown in projection events.The project wants to use various ways to make art available for those that would not normally be involved.

The Wandle is a chalkstream. There are only 200 chalk streams remaining worldwide. And it is our job to protect them.

All our rivers, including the Wandle chalkstream, are invaluable to us. Not only do they create the landscapes we know and love around us, they have also been instrumental in the development of our towns, our industry and our businesses, providing us with a vital source of freshwater.

With increasing populations, the demand for water from our rivers is growing and many are suffering the consequences.

It is part of my ongoing residency from The River Wandle in Surrey, England. The River Wandle has been the focus for industry dating back to the Middle Ages and was once famed as ‘the hardest-working river in the world’ (Wandle Valley Website).

2025 FINAL FILM December 2025 to March 2026

THE RESEARCH

This project has been made possible by the kindness of others. Research has be carried out in many places, but these kind places have given the project insight and reference material that has been invaluable.

Wandle Industrial Museum

Vellum Mill Gallery

STR Design

Sutton Library Archives

Sutton Council's Cultural Services

Carshalton Artists

I would like to explore more the tales of my river, The River Wandle, but through a local and global network of tales of the river. I am keen to reach out to as many people to discuss those tales of the river and from the river.

A river for me is that river in #carshalton #england,; The River Wandle. It is a place to wonder, get lost. My distant river memories are of the river #hogsmill in Ewell, jumping and running through shallow streams. Now, the #riverwandle @wandlevalley I live close to is a place of simple beautiful reflection, where people discuss their tales of the river.

What is your river?
What does it mean to you?
What are your memories of it?

Please TELL ME YOUR TALES OF YOUR RIVER and maybe even share this post, pass it on, get the telematic networks working and I want to find out how far this reaches. Maybe send to a friend in a far off place. Could you hand write or record your response? Could you draw or map your river? You can post on this thread or send things to me at nealvaughanart@gmail.com

The Bibliography

From the internet

‘Waddon Ponds is a park just off the Purley Way, once part of the large estate of Waddoncourt Farm, and purchased by Croydon Corporation in 1928. Until recently, it was the only place in the borough where the River Wandle could be seen above ground, fed by springs from the source of the river.

It’s located in a busy area, offering a welcome place of green tranquillity to refresh the spirit in an otherwise urban landscape.

The ponds were once millponds, feeding a corn mill dating back to medieval times. In the late19th century, the area was used for watercress beds, later drained to become allotments and then used for industrial purposes.

The park is a great place to see wildfowl — Mute Swan, Little Grebe and especially Coot amongst the species — with nesting boxes on stilts. It’s a lovely place to wander, or maybe sit on a bench and read, with a pathway right round the ponds, leading past an ornamental garden to a children’s playground’

https://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/locations/croydon/waddon-ponds/

https://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Wandle-Trail-Map-Interactive.pdf

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/morden-hall-park

https://www.southeastriverstrust.org/wandle/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandle_Trail