New River (England)
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There are also other rivers called the New River
The New River is a man-made waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lee and from springs and wells along its course.
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Route
It starts between Ware and Hertford in Hertfordshire and today travels 32 km down to Stoke Newington. Among the districts it flows through are (from north to south):
- Great Amwell
- Cheshunt
- Enfield
- Palmers Green
- Wood Green (passing close to Alexandra Palace)
- Finsbury Park
Its original termination point was at New River Head near Clerkenwell, Islington, close to the current location of Sadler's Wells theatre.
Construction
The design and construction of the New River is often attributed solely to Sir Hugh Myddleton. However, an Edmund Colthurst first proposed the idea in 1602, obtaining a charter from King James I in 1604 to carry it out. However, after surveying the route and digging the first two-mile long stretch, Colthurst encountered financial difficulties and it fell to Myddleton to complete the work between 1609 and its official opening on 29 September 1613. Myddleton gave some of the shares in the New River Company to Colthurst.
The expense and engineering challenges of the project—it relied on gravity to allow the water to flow, carefully following the contours of the terrain from Ware into London, and dropping around just five inches per mile (approx 8 cm per kilometre)—were not Myddleton's only worries. He also faced considerable opposition from landowners who feared that the New River would reduce the value of their farmland (they argued that floods or overflowing might create quagmires that could trap livestock); others were concerned at the possible disruption to road transport networks between Hertfordshire and the capital. Myddleton, however, was strongly supported by the King, who agreed to pay half the project's expenses in return for a 50% shareholding; such backing quickly silenced the scheme's critics.
Modern alterations
Image:Clissold park new river 1.jpg A winding original section of the channel that used to run through the town centre of Enfield has been cut off from the main flow, but is still maintained as an important local civic amenity, called the New River Loop. Another semi-redundant section of the New River's course between Canonbury and Islington town centre now forms a picturesque walk alongside the now shallow stream.
Originally the course was above ground throughout, but more recently some sections have been put underground, enabling the course to be straightened. The picture (left) shows where the river now disappears underground in Hackney to reappear in Islington. This section used to run along the route of Petherton Road in Highbury. The algal bloom shows how stagnant the water is at this point, most of it being diverted into London's water supply just north of Clissold Park.
The New River Company was taken over by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1904 and became part of Thames Water in 1973. The New River is still an important link in the supply of water to London.