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77
Sanitary Circumstances of the Borough.
Water.
Water from Hampstead Ponds.
Water from the Hampstead Ponds has not been used for human
consumption for many years. Since 1848 the water has gravitated to
an open reservoir at Camden Park Road from which mains were
connected to supply unfiltered water for non-domestic purposes, chiefly
certain railway depots. As long ago as the reign of Henry VIII. an
Act was passed by Parliament authorising the City Corporation to
make use of "dyvers great and plentyfull springes at Hampstead
Hethe" and elsewhere on the northern heights within a radius of
five miles from the City, which hitherto had been supplied with water
from shallow wells within the City and from outlying sources such as
the Springs at Tyburn and elsewhere. In 1589 four reservoirs were
formed in the declivity between the summit of Hampstead Heath and
Pond Street, and to there in 1777 another was added in the Vale of
Health. The five communicated with each other. One of the
reservoirs was filled up as late as 1891. In 1692 the City Corporation
granted a lease of the ponds renewable every 21 years to a number of
lessees who formed the Hampstead Water Company which was
acquired by the New River Company in 1859. The lease granted by
the Corporation of the City to the Metropolitan Water Board expired
in 1936 and since that date the supply from these ponds has been
discontinued.
I am indebted to the Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Water
Board and to the County Medical Officer of Health for this interesting
information.
Drainage and Sewerage.
The following information is supplied in the Annual Report of
the Council for the year ended 31st March, 1937:—
"Sewers were reconstructed in Agamemnon Road, Gondar
Gardens, Well Walk, Christchurch Road and The Grove.
In connection with the Metropolitan Railway Works in
Finchley Road, the London Passenger Transport Board constructed
at its own expense, and under the supervision of the Borough
Engineer, a new 9-in. pipe sewer on the east side of Finchley
Road, opposite Nos. 151 and 157.