Hyde Vale Conduit |
| Hob Uid: 662265 | |
Location :
Greater London Authority
Greenwich
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TQ3858076980 |
| Summary : The Hyde Vale conduit is an underground tunnel, constructed of brick, built to carry water to the Standard Reservoir in Greenwich Park. Originally, the conduit ran south-westwards towards a conduit head at the top of Hyde Vale (see TQ 37 NE 87), but subsequently blocking has reduced its length to just under 250m. The surviving stretch runs from the Conduit House (TQ 37 NE 38) to the lower end of Hyde Vale and was mapped underground using tapes and a prismatic compass, tied into OS mapping on the surface using the positions of vertical air shafts.The Hyde Vale conduit is probably to be dated to c. 1695, when an existing conduit system was refurbished to supply the Royal Hospital (see TQ 37 NE 86). Since then, the conduits must have been repaired on frequent occasions, as the mixture of brick bonds testifies. The roof may be a separate construction to the tunnel, since in several places the wall is slightly recessed where the vault begins. Iron pipes running along the base of the side walls are certainly later additions, documented to the early nineteenth century. |
More information : TQ 3863 7722 to TQ 3858 7698: Hyde Vale conduit.
Recorded during the RCHME Greenwich Park Survey, Sep-1993 to Feb-1994.
The Hyde Vale conduit is an underground tunnel, constructed of brick, built to carry water to the Standard Reservoir in Greenwich Park. Originally, the conduit ran south-westwards towards a conduit head at the top of Hyde Vale (see TQ 37 NE 87), but subsequently blocking has reduced its length to just under 250m. The surviving stretch runs from the Conduit House (TQ 37 NE 38) to the lower end of Hyde Vale and was mapped underground using tapes and a prismatic compass, tied into OS mapping on the surface using the positions of vertical air shafts.
The Hyde Vale conduit is probably to be dated to c. 1695, when an existing conduit system was refurbished to supply the Royal Hospital (see TQ 37 NE 86). Since then, the conduits must have been repaired on frequent occasions, as the mixture of brick bonds testifies. The roof may be a separate construction to the tunnel, since in several places the wall is slightly recessed where the vault begins. Iron pipes running along the base of the side walls are certainly later additions, documented to the early nineteenth century.
A fully referenced description is contained in the archive.
Survey plan at 1:1000 scale archived under record TQ 37 NE 69 (UID 610590). (1-3)
This blog entry from 2009 describes the condition that the conduit was in at this time and includes several photographs of the passageways. One photograph shows a passageway that was partly constructed in chalk blocks which are thought to have been used in order to save bricks. Please see blog for further details. (4) |