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obstructions and encroachments on the roads in the district,
especially between Rock Hill Corner and Mr. Thomas's premises.
The most glaring was found to be that adjoining Mr. Saxton's
property, where the road set out under the Enclosure Award as a
50 feet road, now varies in width from 43 to 46 feet, for a length
of about 1,200 feet. Another encroachment was found to have been
made by the Lambeth Water Works Company; and a third in front
of the premises in Eliza Place, Forest Yale, occupied by Mr.
Chaplin.
A general order was made by the Board requiring the several
roads to be restored to their original width. This order was communicated
to the persons affected by it; but it has not in any case
been attended to or enforced.
The most important interference during the year with the preexisting
condition of the roads has been made by the construction
of the West End and Crystal Palace and the Mid Kent Railways;
the former passing under the Anerley Road, Ponge, and the latter
passing over the turnpike road at Loam pit Yale, under the roads at
Ladywell and Catford Bridge, and over the road at Bell Green, all
in Lewisham.
The Acts of Parliament for the construction of both these railways
received the Royal Assent some months prior to the constitution
of the Board. As regards the crossing of the Anerley Road
by the West End and Crystal Palace Railway, a special clause was
inserted in that Act permitting the rate of inclination of the approaches
to the bridge over the line to be 1 in 14: thus in this
case the Board were completely fettered. Such, however, although
to a great extent, was not wholly the case with the Mid Kent Railway
Company; they had no special powers for the construction of
their works, but were bound by the general law affecting them;
and to that the Board might have been held, but for a technical
difficulty the Company were under by reason of the jurisdiction over
the sewers and highways in the district having in the course of
their proceedings been transferred to newly constituted bodies. Of
this circumstance the Board of Works took advantage to modify as
far as possible, by arrangement with the Company, the proposed
works, so far as they interfered with the highways at the points
mentioned. The following was the result:—
1. As regards Loampit Yale—That the Company should make
a proper raised footpath at the north side of the turnpike
road under the proposed bridge 5 feet wide, in addition to
the full width (30 feet) of such road; and on the south side
form a footpath through a pier, under an archway in the
same, 6 feet wide; and that the road adjoining the river
leading to the mill should be not less than 26 feet wide; and
the bridge over the river at the same point should be of the
span originally intended, subject to the Company adequately