Sir Hugh Myddelton - London, UK
N 51° 32.144 W 000° 06.218
30U E 700868 N 5713379
This statue, to Sir Hugh Myddelton, stands in the angle formed by Islington Green and Upper Street in the hear of Islington. The base of the statue is adorned by two (not working) fountains that nicely link Sir Hugh and London's fresh water supply.
Waymark Code: WMG0D4
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/28/2012
Views: 4
This slightly larger than life size
statue of Sir Hugh Myddelton is carved from stone and stands atop a granite
plinth. The plinth staon a further stone base that, in addition to the plinth,
has a carved figure sat on ach side overlooking two fountains. The base of that
statue stands approximately three metres above the ground and the top of the
stone base about one metre above the ground.
The plinth is still in good condition
but the stone of the statue and base has been affected by weathering and
pollution caused by the nearby traffic.
The statue shows Sir Hugh standing and
he is seen wearing robes and garb of the 16th century. He is bare headed and his
gaze is slightly to the right and down Upper Street towards the Cit of
London.
The front of the plinth carries the
inscription in gold:
Sir
Hugh
Myddelton
B. 1555 D. 1631
The rear of the plinth carries an
inscripion that reads:
The
statue
presented by
Sir Samuel Morton Peto
Bart,
MP.
The
pedestal and fountains
contributed by
voluntary
subscription
aided by
a grant from the vestry
of
Islington.
1862
The Islington People webiste[visit
link] tells us:
"Thanks to its hilltop location.
Islington is ideally situated to supply large amounts of water to the City of
London, and has done so throughout its history. This was originally achieved by
piping water through wooden pipes from natural springs located at Sadlers Wells,
London Spa and Clerkenwell.
During the 17th Century, however,
these sources were no longer adequate to supply water to the growing population,
and a new solution was needed. Enter Sir Hugh (1560 – 1631), who dreamed up an
ambitious solution to bring in clean drinking water from the River Lea at
Hertfordshire to North London, finishing at a termination point dubbed the
New
River Head in present day Finsbury.
This became known as the 'New River Project'.
Originally running completely above
ground, the New River was a controversial and ambitious project at the time of
its devising. It relied on gravity to convey the water southwards into London,
on terrain that dropped only five inches per mile. It met with considerable
opposition from landowners who worried that it would devalue their farmland, but
was strongly supported by the King James I, and opponents were eventually paid
off with generous handouts of 50% of the river's profits.
The resulting New River, which is
now mostly covered over and runs just East of Upper Street, was opened in 1613
and continues to be an important water source for Londoners even today. So next
time you look up at the statue of Hugh Myddelton, you might want to thank him
for providing 8% of your water!
For those interested in learning
more about the New River, several walks have been devised, following the path of
the river from Islington to Hertford. The Ramblers' Association have more
information and a free guide."