Heard of the phrase 'Up s*** creek without a paddle'?
It's a well-known expression across the world, meaning variants of 'you're in trouble' or 'you're in an unpleasant predicament'. There are many schools of thought as to its origin, but it's a well-known belief in Plymouth that this phrase stems from Stonehouse Creek, or Deadlake as its colloquially referred to as.
Years and years ago, the old creek at Stonehouse used to transfer sick patients to hospital, but was later filled in and replaced with a set of playing fields. And you've been walking over it for years without knowing.
Now it's a trickle of water in a pipe far below the ground, but this patch of land, near what's now Devonport High School for Boys, once ran all the way to what is now Victoria Park in Millbridge.
So why was it filled in?
It all goes back to when Plymouth was three separate neighbouring towns – Plymouth, East Stonehouse and Devonport. Until 1914, each was distinct. In East Stonehouse, the patch of water was known locally as the Deadlake and was once a part of an area of tidal marshland.
But at the end of the 19th century, culverts were constructed to channel a few small streams which fed into the lake, and the creek was filled in with rubble from the quarries at Oreston and Cattedown.
Richard Fisher, a local historian, said this was because the smell from the water was getting unbearable.
"The two boroughs got together and said, 'What are we going to do about it?'" said the Stonehouse resident. "The lake was filling up with silt as there was a lot of building work going on and it started to smell. There was no dredging as we do today, and a lot of effluent was getting into the creek.
"It was decided to turn the lake into a park, which was going to be one of the first recreational parks throughout the whole country.
"When filling in the lake they would start at the outside and go round the edges in a circle, ending up with a pond in the middle. Everyone was putting in ideas, which included having a boating lake for tourists in the middle, and a cycling rink round the outside.
"Eventually this was dismissed, and it was just used as a recreational park for jogging and cycling. There were even sheep there grazing on the grass, and a nice bandstand.
"They were trying to make it come alive as an active park because there wasn't much green space in Stonehouse."
Originally designed to be completed for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897, and named in her honour, the park wasn't completed until 1905, four years after her death.
Mr Fisher said the area was managed by a park keeper, who would lock the gates at certain times – and make sure no "strange women" were hanging around.
Molesworth Road at the western end of the park was once a toll bridge allowing horse and coach traffic to travel safely between Devonport and Plymouth.
The area was then called Toll Lane as Millbridge was one of three toll gates in Plymouth – the others being at Stonehouse Bridge and at the Embankment.
The top of the bridge can still be seen running along the edge of the park.
Decades after the lake was filled in, the park was used for a completely different reason.
"During the Second World War the creek saved Plymouth in many different ways," said Mr Fisher, who is an administrator at the Royal Marines training centre. "Victoria Park became an allotment for vegetables, and on the other side of Millbridge there was a wood bank for building things."
On the other side of the bridge, a creek remained until the 1970s, when the smell too started to become a problem.
Stonehouse Creek was also known as Stonehouse Lake and 'Tinkies' by local people.
Mr Fisher said 'Tinkies' refer to large timbers that were linked together to form rafts. "The timbers were kept wet for ship building and the creek provided the perfect place away from choppy waters," he said.
"In 1909 the famous Houdini, who was performing at the Palace Theatre in Union Street, jumped of the Halfpenny Bridge, wrapped up in chains, and performed one of his feats twice in front of the crowds that lined the creek.
"Kids used to love them and would dive off the rafts, which was obviously very dangerous, as it was just a load of tree trunks all together with one chain, so if a kid fell through they wouldn't be able to get back up again."
In 1762, two centuries before it was filled in, the Royal Naval Hospital opened on the shore of Stonehouse Creek.
In 1791, the nearby Military Hospital also opened, which is now Devonport High School for Boys.
Before that a bridge was constructed over Stonehouse Creek, similar to the one at Millbridge, replacing a small ferry. It saved the long journey further north to Millbridge and provided access to Plymouth Docks for those in Devonport.
Designed by John Smeaton, 'Halfpenny Bridge' is still there – but drivers no longer have to pay to cross it. In fact, a toll was only charged to cross the bridge until 1924.
"It was built by builders in Devonport in 1773," said Mr Fisher, "and I think it should be uncovered to show everybody its design."
During this time the creek was used to deliver soldiers and sailors to their respective hospitals, Mr Fisher said.
"That really stopped because of the invention of the ambulance; there really wasn't much need to take them by boat anymore.
"But it's where the phrase, 'Up s*** creek without a paddle' comes from."
In the early twentieth century, Mr Fisher said there was a "real decline of the creek".
He said: "It was getting smelly and it was full of rubbish. Even people in the hospital would say the creek was humming.
"They came to the conclusion they would have to do something about it. A wonderful system was installed and culverts were constructed, so the creek still runs underneath in a big pipe."
The lower reaches of the creek were filled in from the 1960s onwards and completed the following decade.
It is now a recreation ground and home to the Stonehouse Creek Social Club and a patch of unused land on the side of the creek could soon be turned into a community garden, with allotments, possibly a small orchard with wild flowers and a herb garden.