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Combined Drainage.—During the past few years some difficulty
has been experienced with regard to the combined drainage of premises.
Prior to 1893, when the case of Travis v. Uttley re-opened the whole
question, it had been generally held and acquiesced in by owners of
property, that combined drains situate on private land were private
drains for which the owners were responsible. It now, on the contrary,
appears to be the opinion of the general public that all combined
drains are sewers for which the Vestry is responsible. This, of course,
is not so; only those combined drains being sewers which have never
been authorised by the Vestry or the Metropolitan Commissioners of
Sewers (prior to 1855). Fortunately in Chelsea the majority of the
combined drains existing have either been authorised by the Vestry or
by the Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers. In the former case the
orders and plans are recorded in the books kept by the Vestry's
Surveyor, whilst in the latter the records are kept by the London
County Council, and are easily accessible. In respect of these latter a
copy has been made, for the use of the Vestry, of the applications to
drain, with all proper references to plans deposited in the Commissioners
Books, which has been found exceedingly useful. In a majority of
instances these combined drains are carried through the back yards at a
distance from the houses, and do not run under the houses except at
certain points. Although very far from being equal to modern
constructions, they serve their purpose still fairly well, and are not, as a
rule, productive of any nuisance. In some instances improvements
have been carried out in these systems, either by reconstruction, where
they were altogether defective or inefficient, or by the insertion of
inspection manholes or improving the gradients, where such improvements
were called for. In certain other cases, where no authorisation
could be found, the Vestry has been called upon by the owners of
property, to reconstruct combined systems of drainage, which were
sewers, and a list of these works and the cost of each is appended to
this report. In all these cases, the ground landlord (where he could be
found) has been informed of the fact of the reconstruction of the sewer
by the Vestry, and his attention directed to the Sections of the
Metropolis Local Management Acts, which prohibit any interference
with or building over the Vestry's sewers.