Transcribed from the 1857 W. Brickhill edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org. Many thanks to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries for allowing their copy to be used for this transcription.

REPORT
OF THE
SEVERAL WORKS CONNECTED WITH THE
DRAINING, PAVING & LIGHTING
THE
PARISH OF SAINT MARY ABBOTTS, KENSINGTON,
1856.

By JAMES BROADBRIDGE,
Surveyor.

PRINTED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE VESTRY OF KENSINGTON.

BY W. BRICKHILL, STEAM MACHINE PRINTER, KENSINGTON AND WALWORTH ROADS.

1857.

p. 3METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT,
18 & 19 Vic., Cap. 120.

Gentlemen,

In laying before you a Statement, or Annual Report, of the various matters in my department, and works executed under my supervision, I would be allowed to state, that the parish of Kensington having been regulated since 1851, by the Kensington Improvement Act, passed in that year, has not been so substantially benefitted by the present Act, as have many other of the metropolitan parishes.

During the four to five years the said Act was in operation, a vast number of improvements were effected, such as repairing footways, which were in a bad and dilapidated condition, and paving others which were not then paved.  A total sum in this item was expended to the amount of £9024 5s. 9d.

The sanitary state of the Parish was greatly improved by the properly scavengering and repairing roads, which had been neglected for many years.  A large amount of material was used, and I am happy to state, that during the term before mentioned, I was enabled to put these Roads into a good trafficable condition.

p. 4The Act consolidated the various Lighting Districts then existing under the 3rd & 4th Will. 4, Cap. 90, and enabled the Commissioners to supply between two to three hundred additional lamps, and so better regulate and diffuse the lighting over the whole parish.

Many new streets were paved and repaired by the owners, and others made up under the 27th section, all of which were taken to by the Commissioners.

Under the provisions of the present Act, the whole of the management of the sewerage and drainage of the parish (the main lines excepted), together with certain regulations as to buildings, have been imposed upon the vestry; and I now endeavour, as briefly as possible, to describe the general manner by which this parish is drained, and to give an epitome of the general works done since the passing of the said Act.

The Sewerage of this Parish is Received into Four Main Lines; viz.: the Counter Creek, the Church-street Sewer, the Queen-street Sewer, and Smith-street Sewer; of these, the Counter Creek is of the most importance, as it to a great extent serves to receive the various minor sewers.  This sewer enters two portions of the parish, one division at its northern, and the other at its eastern side.  At the extreme northern boundary, at Kensal Green, it has three distinct branches, western, central and eastern, flowing south and westerly, having two branches on the east and one on the west.

The branch on the west is an open stream, passes as a brick sewer under the Canal and the Great Western Railway, where it again appears as an open ditch, and continues along on the verge of the Parish, there it crosses into the Latimer Road out of the Parish Boundaries,—at this point it is a brick sewer.

p. 5The central branch commences at the front of the Kensal Green Cemetery, proceeds as a Brick Sewer under the Canal and Railway, when it appears as an open ditch running southerly to the Walmer Road.  The eastern branch enters this parish from Kensal New Town at the Canal Bridge as a brick sewer, then ceases as a covered sewer, and proceeds as an open ditch, with brick invert to its junction with the central branch,—from this point the central and eastern branches combine as one stream to the Bramley Road, and continue as a brick sewer, 6 ft. by 4 ft., at the west side of St. James’ Square, Norlands: here the western branch returns from Hammersmith parish, and forms junction with the above and central line, and continues as one sewer, 6 ft. by 4ft., along St. Ann’s Road, across Royal Crescent, under the Uxbridge Road, along by the western side of Addison Road, across the Western Road, continuing along Warwick Road, receiving at Pembroke Road the eastern branch, continuing into and across the Old Brompton Road, along the east side of Brompton Cemetery to the limits of the parish in the Fulham Road.

The eastern division of the Counter Creek enters the parish from Paddington at the north end of Palace Gardens, there passes into St. Margaret’s, Westminster, and again returns into Kensington at the Kensington Road, by the North end of Young Street, and proceeds south-westerly through Kensington Square, east side, along south end to the Workhouse, continuing to and along Pembroke Road, to its junction with the principal line in the Warwick Road.

Into the western branch of the Counter Creek are carried by various drains the surface drainage of the meadow land, extending from Kensal Green to the boundaries of the parish—east and west, up to the Lancaster Road; at this point commence the sewers which have been constructed for the drainage of the neighbourhood of Notting Hill, p. 6Norlands, and Westbourne Grove, all of which have their outlets into the Counter Creek, passing over the Uxbridge Road.  North of Kensington Road, east and west, the drainage is to the Counters Creek.  On the south side of the Kensington Road including all such portions of Kensington New Town, on the west side of Victoria Road, extending to the Pembroke Road, the outlet of the sewers is also into the Counters Creek.

The area of the parish extending south from its northern boundaries at Kensal Green, east and west to the Western Road, and from thence all the southern and western portion, including Kensington New Town are drained into the Counters Creek.  This portion of the parish includes the highest and lowest land, being 126 ft. at the south of Notting Hill Square, and 17ft. at St. Mark’s Road—ordnance datum.

The Church Street Sewer, commences in the Gloucester Road, opposite Canning Place, continues along the Gloucester Road, receiving the Drainage from Victoria Grove, Gore Road, and adjacent Streets, proceeds by and past Hereford Square to the termination of the Gloucester Road, into the Old Brompton Road, turns eastward, receives the Sewers from Gloucester Grove East and West, continues southerly down Selwood Lane unto the limits of the parish in the Fulham Road.

This Sewer is carried through a portion of the parish, the land of which has been till recently under culture as Market Gardens.  The newly-formed roads here of the Royal Exhibition Commissioners p. 7Mr. Jackson and others have given an impulse to building in this locality to which this Sewer will be an important outlet for the drainage.

The Queen Street Sewer, commences on the east side of the Gloucester Road, Kensington, proceeds southerly in an irregular form, through the land belonging to the Royal Exhibition Commissioners—forms a junction with a branch from Park Lane, continues in an irregular and uneven course into Cromwell Lane, and then westerly into the Old Brompton Road, thence south easterly down Pelham Road, into Pelham Place, where it receives the drainage from Alfred Place West, Thurloe Square, and South Street—from Pelham Place it is directed westerly into Pelham Crescent, and thence westward along Fulham Road, receiving at Sydney Place, the partial drainage of Onslow Square, and then it proceeds to its outlet from the parish by Sydney Street.

The Smith Street Sewer, commences at the eastern limit of Brompton Road, proceeds westward along the Brompton Road into the Fulham Road, and passes from the parish at Keppell Street.  This Sewer is the outlet for the adjacent Sewers on the North side of the Brompton Road; and of Grove Place, Michael’s Grove, and Brompton Crescent, on the South Side.

A portion of the Kensington branch of the Counter Creek sewer, taking the drainage from Notting-hill, east of the Turnpike-gate, Uxbridge, and other streets and places in that locality, passing through a part of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, to Young-street, receiving the drainage from several streets and places in the town p. 8proper, and also the whole of the drainage from Kensington New-town.  At the Workhouse the sewer is 5 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft. 6 in., and here terminates; the sewage matter, being conveyed from thence along the Pembroke-road, by an 18 in. glazed stoneware pipe, which also receives the drainage of the Pembroke-road and Hutchinson’s estate.

In consequence of the difference in size of sewers, as here marked out, the basements of a vast number of houses in the New-town and other places have been flooded from time to time, and serious inconveniences have in consequence arisen to the ratepayers in those localities.

It is worthy of remark, that after representations made by the vestry to the General Board in August last, they directed a sewer of equal size, viz.: 5ft. 6in. by 3ft. 6in. to be substituted for the 18 in. stoneware pipe, which will effectually remedy the very serious evil pointed out.

The total lengths of sewers in this parish, under the immediate direction of the vestry, are as follows:

The open sewers are not in closely populated districts, but chiefly in that portion of the parish at present under cultivation as grass land or market gardens.

p. 9The Vestry have lowered the crown of sewer in New-street, to a length of 320-ft., have reconstructed a length of 42-ft. 2-in., by 2-ft. 6-in. sewer in Charles’-mews; have laid down a length of 115 ft. of pipe sewer in King-street; and 140-ft. of 12-in. pipe in Sloane-place, in lieu of the old dilapidated brick drain.  These Sewers have enabled owners to drain their several premises.

There have been 45 new Gulleys constructed for carrying off the surface water from the roads, and many altered, repaired, and cleaned.  Air shafts have been formed for carrying off the poisonous Gases from the Sewers; and many Gulleys have been trapped.

The flushers have cleansed about 8 miles 3482-ft. of brick sewer, removing deposits therein, varying from 6 inches to 2-ft. which deposits have been carted away, and have also flushed with water from time to time pipe sewers to an extent of 7½ miles.

232 Applications have been made and granted to drain houses and premises both voluntarily and in consequence of notices issued by the vestry, and in all cases where cesspools have existed they have been filled in or broken up.

The following Sewers have been constructed by owners of property, in the various under-mentioned places, viz.:

These works have been done under the personal inspection of Mr. Perkins, your Clerk of the Works, appointed for that purpose.

REPAIRS OF THE STREETS & THOROUGHFARES, & PAVING WORKS GENERALLY.

I have to call the special attention of the vestry to the subject of the repairs of the Roads in this parish, which involves a very large annual outlay, and requires the greatest amount of care, both as regards the quantity and quality of the materials, and also as to the proper season for their application.

My past experience has taught me that this portion of my duty requires constant supervision and attention.  I have computed the length of the roads in this parish, exclusive of the turnpike roads, at about 53 miles, and I am happy to state, allowing for the new roads adopted by the parish, the last annual outlay has been less in comparison to the previous years, this may be accounted for by the fact of the p. 11roads having become much harder, from regular scavengering, and the better form which allows the surface water to drain into the channels.

The roads may be classed in three sections, viz.: those of great traffic, which are repaired with granite; those having less traffic, which are repaired with flints; and bye roads and squares of little traffic, which are repaired with gravel.  I have considered opinions from time to time expressed by the Paving Committee as to the more general use of granite for the roads, and shall lose no opportunity in carrying out their wishes wherever I can judiciously do so.

I have found many beneficial results, and much saving from the constant employment of a mason ordered by the Paving Committee to be added to the staff of workmen, for the purpose of attending to the repairs of the trenches opened or disturbed by the different gas and water companies.

The following is a list of some of the principal footways, which have been paved, viz.: St. John’s Church, Aubrey Chapel, Gloucester Road, Edge Terrace, and Vine Place, Ladbroke Road, Old Norland Road, Kensington Church, Yard, Queen’s Road, Northern, The Mall, St. Peter’s Church, High Row, Silver Street, Portobello Terrace, Clifton Terrace, together with several other minor works, also the laying crossings, pitching cab stands, and general repairs.

The following are streets which have been paved and repaired at the expense of the owners, and adopted by the Vestry: Kensington Park Road North, Ovington Square, Ovington Terrace, St. John’s Terrace, p. 12Portland Road North, Clarendon Place, Elgin Crescent, Dartmoor Street, Stanley Gardens, Stanley Crescent, Lansdown Road North, Chepstow Villas West, Ladbroke Terrace, Ladbroke Road, Westbourne Grove West.

LIGHTING.

The Parish is at present supplied with Gas under contracts from the Western Gas Company, the Imperial Gas Company, and the London Gas Company.

Great attention has been given by the Committee, in the fixing new lamps, and including the old ones there are now upwards of 1,068 fairly and judiciously spread over the whole parish.  Great facility has been afforded by numbering the lamps, both in the communication with the Gas Companies, and also as to their general repairs, and lighting.

I have endeavoured, in this my first Annual Report to draw your attention to the works generally under your control, and executed under the powers vested in you by the “Metropolis Local Management Act,” and I take this opportunity of tendering my thanks for the support I have ever received from you in the discharge of the important duties intrusted to me.

I have the honor to remain,
Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
JAMES BROADBRIDGE,
Surveyor.