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14
New Street from Gray's Inn Road to the
Angel—In July, 1888, the Vestry addressed a
communication to the Metropolitan Board of
Works, asking why it is not proposed to construct
a subway under the new street for the reception
of gas and water mains, &c., and for access to
sewers similar to that built under Shaftesbury
Avenue, to which they received a reply that the
new thoroughfare will have to be carried on a
viaduct for 120 yards between Lucy's Buildings
and Lane's Court, and that where it crosses
Warner Street the whole of the space between the
surface of Warner Street and the underside of the
girders carrying the new street over it is required
for headway over Warner Street, and that if therefore,
a subway were constructed, it would have to
dip down into the valley of the Fleet and rise up
again, and even in that case there is but little room
for a subway between the Fleet Sewer and the
surfacc of the roads, and also stating that at the
St. John Street Road end the New River main
would seriously interfere with the construction of
a subway. The Vestry, however, did not deem the
reasons given by the Metropolitan Board of Works
for not providing a subway satisfactory, and they
urged upon the Metropolitan Board of Works the
desirability of providing a subway at least under
the remaining portion of the street.
A letter in reply was received from the Metropolitan
Board of Works, stating that the Board is
advised that the advantages to be gained by the
formation of a subway in the portion of the street
referred to are not such as to justify the expenditure,
and as, moreover, the Board could not construct
the subway without farther Parliamentary
powers, they were unable to comply with the
request of the Vestry.
In December a notice was received from the