New River Head

Sir Hugh Myddelton, a wealthy goldsmith and merchant, was responsible for building the New River, a man-made water conduit originally 39 miles long that was constructed to bring fresh water from springs 20 miles away in Hertfordshire to supply London's growing population. Myddelton had been given the authority to carry out the ambitious engineering project in 1609 and in 1611 he persuaded King James I to contribute the finances necessary to complete the project. The King agreed on condition that he received half the profits and that it would be constructed through his palace grounds at Theobalds. The New River was completed in 1613 with a formal opening ceremony taking place at the New River Head with a play attended by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London. The New River Company was created by Charter in 1619, with Sir Hugh Myddelton as its first Chairman. The New River ended in the Round Pond, a small circular reservoir built suitably high to enable water to be piped by gravity to houses in the City and its vicinity, initially through 400 miles of hollowed-out elm pipes. A larger outer reservoir was constructed in the early C18th and by 1820 the wooden pipes had been replaced by iron ones. Until 1892 the water flowed here in an open channel, but thereafter it was transported in a covered pipe.

The Metropolitan Water Board took over the New River Company in 1904 and drained the Round Pond, only a fragment of which remains; the Water House was also demolished and by 1920 the company had built its new headquarters building on part of the site of the Round Pond, extending it in 1934-5. In 1936-38 the Laboratory Building was built for testing water quality, designed by Hall, Easton and Robertson. In 1946 the water supply ceased to flow here when the New River stopped in Stoke Newington at the East Reservoir (q.v.). In 1974 the MWB became Thames Water, which later moved its headquarters to Reading in 1987. Features remaining on the site include the New River Head Building of 1919 , which remained offices for Thames Water until 1993, and still contains the New River Company's Oak Room of 1693. It was converted to private apartments in 1997/8. The Laboratory Building has also been converted to private apartments. Also remaining is the windmill base dating from 1708 used to pump water to the upper pond at Claremont Square (q.v.); an Engine and Pump House of 1767 to house steam engine pumps; and to the rear of the New River Head building is a C14th Chimney conduit. This was formerly in Queen Square (q.v.), and was dismantled and re-erected at New River Head in 1927. The formal gardens of the MWB are now the private communal gardens for private residents and include fountains and rose gardens.

However, the New River Head site still has associations with London's water supply through the London Ring Main and the Rising Groundwater Scheme. The New River continues to carry up to 48m gallons of water for treatment daily, around 8% of London's daily consumption. The Ring Main, which houses the deep shaft and pumps that raise treated water from the Thames Water Ring Main tunnel below, is a major part of London's water distribution network, encircling London and connecting to water treatment works in the west. Another operational feature is a borehole that is part of a scheme to reduce rising groundwater beneath London by abstracting water from the aquifer and transferring it by pipe to Stoke Newington East Reservoir. Since 1992 Thames Water with other partners have worked to develop the New River Path, which was completed in 2004, a 28 mile footpath following the course of the river from Hertfordshire to Islington.