View report page

143
Street across the railway. The Company's Act of Parliament and accompanying
approved plans particularly stipulated that the Worship Street road surface should
remain unaltered; nevertheless, your officers discovered whilst the viaduct was in
progress of construction, that a serious deviation would occur, and having reported
the fullest details to the Vestry, the services of an eminent City Surveyor were
retained to ascertain by measurements, with your Surveyor, what the deviation
actually would be. Levels were taken, drawings prepared, and it was reported to
the Vestry that there would be an extra rise of about 10 inches in the road surface
from the centre of the bridge Eastward, tending to cause serious inconvenience and
difficulty to traffic. In consequence of this breach of the Railway Company's
statutory powers, and because in continuing this work the Company in order
presumably to obviate a steeper gradient, failed to introduce a sufficient depth of
concrete foundation, legal proceedings were commenced by the Vestry. Your
Surveyor submitted a further report of imperative alterations necessary in order to
render the approach to Worship Street from Shoreditch High Street reasonably
convenient and safe to traffic, but the scheme was not accepted by the Company,
ultimately the case was compromised upon the terms stated in the Vestry
Clerk's report.
LONDON and NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.
(NEW DEPOTS AND WIDENINGS).
This work in progress under the Company's statutory powers obtained about
five years ago whereby the Company have acquired a large amount of property
within Shoreditch Parish, embraces the deviation and re-construction of road-way
and sewer at the West-end of Nichols Square, Hackney Road, and of Plough Yard,
Shoreditch High Street, will be reported upon in a future report.
In conclusion I would avail myself of this opportunity to impress on the
Vestry, in consequence of increasing labour in the Surveyor s Department, brought
about by the Public Health Act, 1891, and other new Acts, also in anticipation
of large sanitary works to be carried out at Haggerston, the urgent necessity of
providing a larger staff, and improved accommodation at the earliest convenient
opportunity.
I am, Gentlemen,
Yours obediently,
ALFRED JACKSON MARTIN,
Surveyor.
Shoreditch Town Hall,
Old Street, E.G.
Q