The New River is not a river as such, but an artificial waterway designed to supply fresh drinking water to central London. The water was taken from springs near Ware in Hertfordshire. These springs were situated at Amwell and Chadwell. The river terminates in Islington London by the Sadler’s wells theatre. The river was opened in 1613 and was conceived originally by Edmund Colthurst and completed by Sir Hugh Myddelton. The river was operated by the New River Company for three hundred years before being taken over by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1904. Today the river feeds several reservoirs such as the King Georges at Chingford. However due to the volume of water required by Londoners today water is also taken from the River Lea.
