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.
The 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.
The 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, Norlands, 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.