New River Gallery

'The New River Head', c1872. Creator: Unknown

'The New River Head', c1872. 'The site south-west of Sadler's Wells known as New River Head takes its name from the reservoir at the mouth of the New River, the channel cut in 1604-1613 to supply London with water from springs in Hertfordshire - a civil engineering achievement vital to the development of the metropolis. From here, high in the fields of rural Clerkenwell, a network of wooden mains conveyed water to the cisterns of London. To begin with, New River Head consisted merely of a reservoir, the Round Pond, and a single building known as the Water House. In time it became a comparatively sophisticated complex with outer ponds and associated structures covering seven acres...' From Old and New London, Vol. II: A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places, by Walter Thornbury. [Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., London, Paris & New York]

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

Statues on Holborn Viaduct, City of London, 1869

Statues on Holborn Viaduct, City of London, 1869. Statues of Sir William Walworth, Lord Mayor of London, Henry Fitzailwin the first Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas Gresham, founder of the Royal Exchange and Sir Hugh Myddleton, who built the New River to supply water to London in 1609-1613. They were placed in niches on the viaduct. From the Illustrated London News

© London Metropolitan Archives (City of London) / Heritage-Images

Chadwell Springs near Ware, Hertfordshire, England, a source of water which was taken

Chadwell Springs near Ware, Hertfordshire, England, a source of water which was taken by means of the 38 mile (61.155km) artificial waterway known as the New River to New River Head, London. The New River was created by Hugh Middleton (c1555-1631) between 1609 and 1613. From Scenes in England by the Rev. Isaac Taylor, London, 1822. Hand-coloured engraving

© Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group