Overview
In 1613 the opening of a remarkable enterprise was celebrated. A gathering of illustrious people on the heights of Islington in what is now north London, watched as a stream of water intended for the City of London was at last released into a reservoir there. It had come from Hertfordshire via an open canal that meandered down through the northern outskirts of London. It was a major achievement both of surveying and of hard work. The New River, as it was always called, was constructed just as the lack of fresh, unpolluted water for an expanding London was becoming a serious problem and in the 18th century was to be vital in the continuing development of the capital. The New River eventually became the largest of the London water companies and the most profitable, despite early setbacks. Today it still contributes a large volume to London's water supply. This book is the most comprehensive history of the building and the working of the river, and the politics that went on behind it. It is accompanied by a wealth of illustrations.