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7
of the Committee Rooms at the Vestry Hall at their disposal
for holding their meetings.
The united and determined opposition of the district will, no
doubt, have a great effect, and probably cause the abandonment
of the measure.
The Metropolitan Board of Works (Thames Crossings) Bill Metropolitan
Board of Works (Thames Crossings)
deserves more than mere passing remark.
The Vestry have on many former occasions, drawn attention
to the wants of the East end of London with regard to means
of communication across the river East of London Bridge, and
have chronicled the efforts made to bring about a relief thereto.
In 1882 Sir Joseph Bazalgette presented a report to the
Metropolitan Board of Works fully discussing the wants of the
district, and recommending three projects which, in his opinion,
were requisite to meet those wants.
The projects were—
1. A low level bridge immediately to the west of the Tower.
2. A tunnel from the east end of London Docks at Shadwell
to the west side of the Surrey Commercial Docks at
Rotherhithe.
3. A tunnel from Poplar to Greenwich.
The report also dealt with various other sites, such as one
from Nightingale Lane to Bermondsey, but discarded them as
bad for reasons clearly set forth.
The Vestry carefully considered the report and approved of
it. The cost of the three schemes would of course be very
heavy (exceeding £5,000,000), and the question of the method
of raising the necessary funds to meet the expenses was one
of paramount importance.
Communications passed between the Metropolitan Board of
Works and the Treasury on the subject of the continuance of
the coal and wine dues for a further period, with the result, that
the Metropolitan Board of Works received from the Treasury
a reply which gave no hopes of the dues being continued.
This altered the aspect of affairs considerably, and the Vestry
as well as other bodies in the east of the metropolis on the
north side of the river, reconsidered the subject and came to
unanimous decisions, that if one means of communication only
was to be established, the central scheme, geographically, of
Sir J. Bazalgette, was the proper one to be first proceeded with.
The various resolutions were in due course presented to the
Metropolitan Board of Works, and were supported, in many
instances, by large and influential deputations. The Vestry
also invited a conference of the various Vestries and District
Boards of districts situate east of London Bridge on both sides
of the river, and similar resolutions were arrived at, which
were communicated to the Metropolitan Board of Works by
a deputation. At the meeting of the Vestry on the 7th of
November, 1883, information was given to the Vestry that the
Metropolitan Board of Works had resolved to proceed to parliament
to construct a subway from Nightingale Lane, Whitechapel,
to Dockhead, Bermondsey, at an estimated cost of