248 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
continued past Turnford Pumping Station, over Turnford Aqueduct, and through
the parish of Wormley to Broxbourne. From the river banks, beautiful and
extended views of the surrounding country were obtained, especially of the
Lea Valley and the hills forming the western boundary of Epping Forest, while
a number of charming pieces of New River scenery were passed on the ramble.
The New River, as nearly everyone knows, was constructed by Sir Hugh
Myddelton, a goldsmith and citizen of London. The work of forming the
conduit was commenced on the 21st April, 1609, and completed in 1613. The
original source was Chadwell Spring, about 1/2-mile west of the town of Ware, in
Hertfordshire, and the water was conveyed therefrom by a gravity conduit,
following the contour of the country and terminating at the New River Head, in
Islington.
The original length of the conduit was about 383/4 miles, and the fall was then
computed to be about four inches to the mile, and the distance, as the crow flies,
from Chadwell Spring to New River Head, is about 20 miles. The conduit in
the early days was nothing more than a mere ditch when compared with the
present channel. At a later date the conduit was extended in a westerly
direction from Chadwell Spring towards the town of Hertford, where the supply
was augmented by taking water from the River Lea. The present intake, now
known as the New Gauge, is a floating weir. During the last century, and
particularly towards the end, the conduit has been continually improved by
increasing its sectional area, reducing its length by cutting off loops, forming
embankments, tunnels and aqueducts, and by laying part of it in pipes, until at
the present day its length from New Gauge to New River Head does not exceed
27 miles. The average sectional area is about 80 to 90 square feet, and the fall
of the water surface from the intake on the River Lea to New River Head is
about 20 feet, and from Chadwell Spring to New River Head about 15 feet,
and the carrying capacity of the conduit is about 60 million gallons in 24 hours,
the average velocity of the stream being about 11/4 feet per second.
A rest for lunch was made at the "Crown Hotel," Broxbourne, when an
Ordinary Meeting (the 223rd) was held, the President in the Chair.
Mr. H. W. Unthank, B.A., B.Sc, was elected a member.
On the motion of the President, a very cordial vote of thanks was passed to
Mr. Wood, who had in the kindest way arranged the details of the meeting.
The river-side ramble was then continued, the banks being parallel with the
Lea Navigation ; the Stour Valley and Stanstead Clunch could be seen on the
east, and Haileybury College on the high land to the west. Journeying onward,
Rye Common Pumping Station was passed, when the River enters the
"Wilderness," one of the prettiest pieces of wooded scenery on the river
between London and Hertford ; then past the quaint little Parish Church at St.
Margarets to the picturesque village of Great Amwell, with its Church nestling
on the western hillside, and over-looking Easneye Park and the Lea and Ash
Valleys. At the foot of the hill, leading to the Church, are the old parish
"Stocks."
At Amwell a strawberry tea was provided by Mr. Wood's hospitality, and
then under his guidance the celebrated Amwell pond with its two islands, stone
tablets and inscriptions, was visited ; it was one of the early sources of the New
River, and it is by far and away the most beautiful spot on the stream. Chadwell
Spring, the original source of the New River, was seen at the foot of the chalk
hills.