Origins
The New River Company arose from London’s desperate water crisis at the turn of the seventeenth century. The city’s medieval water sources—the Thames, local wells, and small conduits—proved increasingly inadequate for a population approaching 200,000. The Thames was polluted; wells ran dry or became contaminated; existing conduits served only limited areas. Parliament authorized projects to bring water from springs in Hertfordshire as early as 1606, but initial efforts by Edmund Colthurst stalled from lack of funds.
Hugh Myddelton, a Welsh goldsmith and entrepreneur, took over the project in 1609. He proposed constructing an artificial river—a carefully graded channel—to carry spring water 40 miles from Amwell and Chadwell in Hertfordshire to reservoirs in Islington, north of London’s walls. The undertaking was extraordinary for its time: engineering an open channel across varied terrain, maintaining sufficient gradient for water flow while avoiding obstacles, and financing the massive labor costs through years before any revenue.
Myddelton invested his own fortune and recruited shareholders, but construction costs exceeded projections. By 1612, the project faced collapse until King James I agreed to pay half the remaining costs in exchange for half the profits—making the Crown effectively a partner in London’s water supply. The New River opened on September 29, 1613, as water first flowed into the Round Pond reservoir at New River Head, Islington. Though initially mocked by some who questioned whether Londoners would pay for water, demand soon exceeded supply.
Structure & Function
The New River itself was an artificial channel approximately 40 miles long, following contours to maintain a gentle gradient that allowed water to flow by gravity alone. The channel measured about 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep, lined with puddled clay to prevent leakage. Wooden sluices controlled flow rates; settling ponds removed sediment before water entered the distribution system. The engineering required careful surveying—the total fall over 40 miles was only 18 feet—and constant maintenance to prevent erosion and obstruction.
Distribution from the reservoirs at New River Head initially used hollow elm logs as pipes, a common technology of the period. Customers—primarily wealthy households and businesses—paid for connections, with water supplied intermittently rather than continuously. As cast iron pipes became available in the eighteenth century, the company gradually replaced wooden mains, enabling higher pressure and more reliable service. The transition took decades; elm logs remained in use for some branches into the nineteenth century.
The company operated as a private enterprise, governed by shareholders called “Adventurers.” Each share entitled the holder to a dividend from profits and a voice in company affairs. The original 72 shares, divided between Myddelton’s investors and the Crown (which sold its portion in 1631), became extraordinarily valuable as London grew and water demand increased. Share prices rose from the initial investment to enormous sums; a single share sold for over £100,000 by the nineteenth century. This private ownership of essential infrastructure would later become controversial.
Historical Significance
The New River Company demonstrated that large-scale infrastructure could be financed and operated by private enterprise, establishing a model that would influence utility development for centuries. The company’s commercial success—shareholders earned excellent returns for nearly three centuries—encouraged similar ventures in gas, electricity, and telecommunications. The joint-stock structure, with tradeable shares generating dividends, prefigured modern utility corporations.
The project also proved that clean water could be supplied at urban scale, fundamentally changing expectations for city living. Before the New River, London’s density was constrained by water availability; afterward, the city could expand knowing supply could follow demand. This model of proactive infrastructure investment—building capacity ahead of need rather than responding to crisis—influenced urban planning philosophy. Other cities commissioned similar projects, often hiring engineers trained on the New River.
The company’s eventual fate illustrated changing attitudes toward utility ownership. By the mid-nineteenth century, reformers argued that essential services like water should be public responsibilities. Multiple private companies serving London created inefficiency and left poor districts underserved. The Metropolis Water Act of 1902 authorized the Metropolitan Water Board to acquire London’s water companies; the New River Company was purchased in 1904, ending 291 years of private operation. The New River itself continued carrying water until 1946, and portions remain as a landscaped heritage feature.
Key Developments
- 1606: Parliament authorizes bringing water from Hertfordshire to London
- 1609: Hugh Myddelton takes over project from Edmund Colthurst
- 1612: King James I agrees to fund half the remaining costs
- September 29, 1613: New River opens; water flows to Islington reservoir
- 1619: Company incorporated by royal charter
- 1631: Crown sells its shares to Sir Hugh Myddelton (founder’s son)
- 1693: Cast iron pipes first used for main distribution
- 1708: Company authorized to increase water rates
- c. 1750: New River supplies approximately 60,000 London houses
- 1818-1821: Original open channel shortened by tunneling
- 1855: Metropolis Water Act requires improved filtration
- 1898: Metropolitan Water Board proposed to consolidate London supply
- 1902: Metropolis Water Act authorizes acquisition of water companies
- 1904: New River Company purchased by Metropolitan Water Board
- 1946: New River ceases carrying water supply
- 1989: Thames Water privatized, inheriting New River heritage