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102
this house at a cost of about £1,000, and that it is still to be
seen there, but is not used as a clock tower.
There can be no doubt but that the exigences of the
traffic at the present day would have rendered the existence of
the tower impossible, and that there would be no two opinions
as to the necessity for its removal.
It was largely due to the influence of the early members
for St. Saviour's, Mr. John Thwaites and Mr. Charles Harris,
that the proposal for the formation of the spacious new street
extending from Blackfriars Road to the Borough High Street,
since called Southwark Street, was favourably entertained by
the Metropolitan Board of Works and brought to a successful
conclusion. The Act of Parliament authorising its construction,
and also a street in Westminster, was known as "The
Southwark and Westminster Communication Act, 1857."
The new street in Southwark, which had already been completed
and opened for traffic, was formally made over to the
District Board for care and maintenance on the 20th May,
1863.* Originally it had been intended that the carriageway
should be macadamised, as were the Blackfriars Road and
many other of the streets at that time, but, in consequence
of representations made by the District Board as to the
increasing traffic, the Metropolitan Board was induced to
depart from its original plans and pave the street with granite
pitching. This pavement, which for some reason or other
was laid perfectly level without any camber, as it is technically
termed, was, some time afterwards, relaid and properly
rounded off by means of ballast placed upon the concrete
foundation. It has since been subject to reparation and
partial renewals from time to time, but, in the main, the stone
which was first laid down lasted until the year 1899, when it
was taken up and the roadway paved with Jarrah wood. The
old ballast, of which there was a vast quantity, was utilised
by Mr. G. R. Norrish, the Surveyor of the Board, as far as
possible in laying the wood pavement.
In connection with Southwark Street an important magisterial
decision was obtained in the year 1889. For some
years previously occupiers of warehouses in Southwark Street,
at the east end of the street more particularly, had been in the
*It was opened to the public in sections, first the portion from Borough
High Street to Southwark Bridge Road, and later on the western portion to
Blackfriars Boad.