New River (London)

The New River is an artificial waterway in England that was opened in 1613. It was built to bring fresh drinking water to London from places called Chadwell and Amwell Springs near Ware in Hertfordshire. Later, it also brought water from the River Lea and other sources.

The idea for the New River started with a man named Edmund Colthurst, and it was finished by Hugh Myddelton. A company called the New River Company ran it for almost 300 years. In 1904, the water supply for London was taken over by the Metropolitan Water Board.

Even though some people wanted to close it down, a big part of the New River is still used today. It is now taken care of by Thames Water, more than 400 years after it was first built. You can walk along a path called the New River Path, which follows the river for about 28 miles from Hertfordshire to a place in London called Islington.

Route

The New River starts between Ware and Hertford in Hertfordshire and runs for about 20 miles (32 km) to Stoke Newington. It flows through several areas, including Great Amwell, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Enfield, Palmers Green, Bowes Park, Wood Green (near Alexandra Palace), Hornsey, Harringay, and Finsbury Park.

Originally, the river ended near Clerkenwell and Islington at a place called the New River Head. In 1946, the water supply stopped at Stoke Newington, and the river now ends at the East Reservoir, which is managed as the Woodberry Wetlands, a nature reserve.

Construction

See also: New River Company

The idea for the New River began with Edmund Colthurst in 1602. He wanted to bring fresh water to London from springs near Ware and got permission from King James I in 1604. Colthurst started building but ran into money problems. Then Hugh Myddelton took over and finished the job by 1613.

The river used gravity to move water slowly from Ware to London, dropping just a little bit each mile. Some landowners were unhappy because they thought the river might hurt their farms or roads. Even the king helped by taking part of the project. Later, the river was changed in some places to use newer building methods. In 1620, the river got extra water from the nearby River Lea when the original springs weren’t enough.

Later alterations

Originally, the New River flowed above ground all the way. But in the late 1800s, some parts were moved underground to make the path straighter.

One winding part that used to go through the center of Enfield was cut off from the main river. It’s still kept up as a special local spot called the New River Loop. During World War II, from 1940 to 1952, the New River was temporarily moved back to this old path after a bomb damaged the pipes that had diverted it.

Another big loop near Devonshire Hill in north Wood Green and southern Enfield was also cut off. This happened when the Wood Green tunnel was finished in 1852. The loop stayed for some years but was filled in and lost by the early 1900s. Today, that area is covered with homes built mostly in the 1930s, but old maps from the 1800s and early 1900s still show where it used to be.

In March 1946, the last water-filtering area at New River Head was closed to make room for new offices for the Metropolitan Water Board. The part of the river south of Stoke Newington was no longer used. By 1950, the pipes in that section were dug up and reused elsewhere in the city’s water system.

In 1985, the New River Aqueduct was built to carry the river over the London Orbital Motorway (M25), which was also being built at the time. The aqueduct has two long, narrow concrete sections that hold the river, making it easier to keep the water flowing while doing repairs.

Present day

The New River is still used today, moving about 220 million liters of water each day — that’s 8% of all the water London uses.

Near Turkey Brook in Enfield, water from the New River goes into the Northern Transfer Tunnel. It then reaches the King George V Reservoir, which is part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain. Further south, close to Alexandra Park, water from the New River is used at Hornsey Water Treatment Works. The New River ends at the East Reservoir in Stoke Newington, where all its water flows. From there, the water travels to the lower part of the Lee Valley reservoirs through the Amhurst Main. This can carry up to 90 million liters of water each day for treatment at Coppermills Water Treatment Works.

When there isn’t enough water flowing, extra water can be added from deep wells along the New River’s path. This extra water is treated at either Hornsey or Coppermills. If there’s more water than needed, treated water from Coppermills is put back into the ground for storage as part of the North London Artificial Recharge Scheme.

The old path of the New River between Stoke Newington and its end at New River Head can still be seen in parts of the city. You can spot it in gaps along Petherton Road, through Canonbury, and along Astey’s Row and Colebrooke Row.
Main article: New River Head

Dame Alice Owen's School bombing

On 15 October 1940, about 150 people were hiding in the basement of Dame Alice Owen's School on Goswell Road when a large parachute mine hit the building. This caused the building to collapse and blocked the entrance to the basement. The blast also broke a pipe carrying the New River, causing flooding in the shelter and resulting in many lives being lost.

A memorial for those who were affected by the bombing can be found in Owen's Fields at the northern end of Goswell Road.

Drownings and accidents

A writer named Charles Lamb told a story about his friend who accidentally walked into the New River but was saved. Sadly, another man named Rochemont Barbauld, who was a minister, had a terrible moment of confusion, hurt his wife, and later died in the river in 1808.