A collection of documents relating to Middlesex and Westminster, including property conveyances, marriage settlements, wills and court papers.

Records of the Commissioners of Sewers of the City of London. The records comprise: official documents relating to the case of the Commissioners of Sewers of the City of London v William Bulkeley Glasse and others; sewer rate books, 1771-1874; consolidated rate books, 1790-1908; and Metropolis Main Drainage rate books, 1858-1869.

Minutes of the Joint Drainage Committee, 1915-1916; minutes of the Wandle Valley Joint Sewerage Board, 1917-1962; minutes of Wandle Valley Main Drainage Authority, 1963-1965; Orders, 1960-1962; Members attendance books, 1928-1965; registers of documents sealed, 1917-1965; register of tenders, 1948-1965.

Signed Minutes of the Hogsmill Drainage Joint Committee (1932-1939), later the Hogsmill Valley Joint Sewerage Board (1939-1960) and later the North Surrey Joint Sewage Board (1960-1965), 1932-1965 and signed minutes of Meetings in Committee, Hogsmill Valley Joint Sewerage Board and North Surrey Joint Sewage Board, 1958-1962.

Letters patent appointing Commissioners, 1860; volume of presentments with schedules of owners and occupiers of property, 1860; Minutes of the Commissioners, 1894-1934; deeds of grant and agreements allowing construction or maintenance work to take place, 1886-1941; surveys and plans, 1721-1858, including surveys of Dagenham, Barking and East Ham Levels by James Bermingham, ordered by the Commissioners of Sewers, 1735-1742, "plan of Lands in the Valley of the River Roding over which it is proposed to extend the jurisdiction of the Commissioners", 1854 and maps of Wicklands Level, Westbury Level and Little West Marsh, 1858.

Plan and profile of the road from Tybourne Turnpike to Bayswater Bridge, 1824.

Plan of part of the Uxbridge Turnpike Road at Notting Hill, 1825.

Plan for improving the line of the road at Notting Hill, 1825.

Plan and profile of the road from Notting Hill Turnpike to Holsdon Green, 1825.

Plan of road from Turnham Green to Shepherd's Bush, 182-.

King's Scholars Pond Sewer (also known as the river Tyburn) from the River Thames to Mr White's Bridge, showing intended improvements, 182-.

Records of the Staines Local Board of Health, Urban District Council and Rural District Council relating to road and bridge maintenance, provision of utilities and sewer and drainage works, 1876-1961, including correspondence; agreements; memoranda; contracts; deeds; copies of legislation; petitions; orders of the Local Government Board and licences.

Minutes and files of the Litter Act Committee, Court of Common Council, 1959-1972.

Records of the Sanitary Committee (1866-1897) and the Public Health Committee (1898-1956) including minutes, 1866-1956; committee papers, 1906-1956; report books, 1866-1956; Burial Board letter books, 1948-1956 and subject files, 1867-1955. Subjects include handling of condemned food; house drainage; sanitary inspectors; slaughter houses; bacteriologists; pigeon nuisance; the Housing Act 1936; the National Health Service; the London County Council health committee; smoke abatement and the City of London Cemetery including footpaths, boundaries, fees for internment, maintenance and arrangements for civilian deaths during the Second World War.

Records from the Lee Conservancy Board Engineer's Office at Enfield Lock. The engineer appears also to have been responsible to the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board (for example, see Acc 2423/062).

The collection consists of nineteenth and twentieth century plans, papers and volumes concerning the Lee Conservancy Board, the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board, and the British Waterways Board, covering many aspects of maintenance work on waterways and administration. The papers comprise:

• Plans 1760-1954 (ACC 2423/P/0001-3786) A large proportion of the collection consists of plans, many reused with annotations. Items relate to repair work on sewers and buildings, improvements to rivers and pumping stations, and the purchase of land for new projects.
  • Parliamentary Plans 1840-1965 (ACC 2423/PP/001-041) Plans produced for or submitted for Parliamentary Sessions to illustrate forthcoming work on waterways, for example, sewerage work, or waterways affected by the construction of railways.
  • Specific Plans 1867-1964 (ACC 2423/R/001-076) A set of plans illustrating large projects, which seems to have been kept as a set distinct and separate from the main ACC 2423/P plan series by the placing of the letter `R' before each original plan number.
  • General Plans 1828-1974 (ACC 2423/X/001-300) A collection of more general plans relating to projects focusing on improvements to the Lea River and Navigation, the Stort River and Navigation, the Bow Back Rivers and the Grand Union Canal.
  • Ordnance Survey Maps 1838-1955 (ACC 2423/05/001-139) Maps used to plan forthcoming work, with frequent annotations, particularly for the drafting of courses for sewers.
  • Engineers' Reports and Letter Books 1858-1961 (ACC 2423/001-136) Sets of volumes and files recording reports, contracts and specifications, and other maintenance records.
  • Administrative and Legal Documents 1829-1977 (ACC 2423/AL/001-119) Administrative files relating to accidents and damage, together with inventories of assets, minutes of meetings, and engineers' reports. Legal documents include material on agreements for sale and tenancy, the conveyance of property, and contracts.
  • Engineering and Maintenance Records 1892-1978 (ACC 2423/EM/001-097) Records relating to the maintenance and improvement of waterways, including development plans, moratorium surveys, pumping records, and related graphs and operation sheets.

Record of the Surrey and Kent Commissioners of Sewers, comprising roll from a session for the county of Surrey, held at St Margarets Hill, Southwark (Paris Garden), 1640.

Records of the London Waste Regulatory Authority, 1986-1996, including the minutes and presented papers of the Executive Committee 1986-1996, Site Licensing Committee/Licensing and Registration Sub-Committee 1987-1996, Urgency Committee 1986-1996, and Senior Officers' Appointments Sub-Committee 1986-1996, as well as minutes and presented papers of the working parties and Forums created by the LWRA, including Members Working Group on Major Issues, Enforcement and Fly-Tipping Working Party, East and South East London Fly-Tipping Liaison Group, Waste Recycling in London Members Liaison Group and London Forum on Recycling (LWRA/A and LWRA/C).

There are a large and complete series of the WRA reports (LWRA/B) produced by the LWRA which are supported by a detailed index. The index is arranged both chronologically and as an alphabetical sequence, giving the report (WRA) number and the committee that considered the report, along with the date the committee sat, so they can be used in conjunction with the committee minutes for the relevant meeting.

It should be noted that the committee reports have been divided into two sequences. At some point the reports presented to the Executive Committee were extracted into a separate series. Both series run in chronological order and are numbered. The detailed index provides and entry into the reports. However it is worth checking both series for a particular report.

The Clerks Department files (LWRA/D) were a separate filing system maintained by the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority on behalf of the LWRA. The original filing system has been retained although many of these files contained copies of the reports found in LWRA/B/02, so duplicate copies have not been retained. A small sample of files has been retained as examples.

The Information Centre's records (LWRA/E) includes material that had been stored at Kingsmeadow House in Reading, now the South East Regional Offices of the Environmental Agency. This includes publications about waste including 'Today's Waste, Tomorrow's Resources': The Waste Management Plan for Greater London 1995 - 2015, a series of transcripts of the annual conference held by LWRA as well as staff handbooks and Health and Safety guidelines.

MBW/1901-1908: Thames Floods (estimate of works required to repair damage caused by floods and estimates of works for defence against future flooding)

MBW/1909-1910: Redistribution Of Vestrymen (cuttings from minutes)

MBW/1911-1913: Water Supply (reports on the metropolis water supply)

MBW/1914-1916: Letters (in-letters, petitions, applications and out-letters)

MBW/1917-1919: Advertisements

MBW/1920-1924: Newspaper Cuttings

MBW/1925-1928: Staff Lists (including duties of officers)

MBW/1929-2309: Finance (including registers of contracts and agreements, salary books and rate books)

MBW/2310-2420: Printed Reports (including annual reports of the Board and Committees, architect's, engineer's and fire brigade reports, papers circulated to Board members, Bills and Acts of Parliament)

MBW/2421-2445: Contracts And Specifications for work on sewers, drains and embankments.

MBW/2446-2653: Plans (plans submitted to Parliament, plans of local improvements arranged by parish, plans of artisan's dwellings, plans of the metropolis water supply, plans of Thames floods, plans of parks and open spaces, plans presented to the Board and to various Committees to accompany reports, memorials and proposals for improvements, creation of parks, drainage, bridges, roads and tunnels, plans of railways)

MBW/2654-2656: District Surveyor (monthly returns and drainage applications)

MBW/2657-2663: Bridges (Accountant's Department papers concerning claims of the bridge companies whose bridges were acquired under the Metropolitan Toll Bridges Act 1877 and the Metropolitan Bridges Act 1883)

MBW/2664-2682: Thames Floods (volumes of duplicate copies of notices served on riparian [situated on the banks of a river] owners under the Metropolis Management (Thames River Prevention of Floods) Amendment Act 1879 and Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act, 1882, with associated plans and riverfront elevations)

MBW/2683-2685: Financial Records (Accountant's Department papers)

MBW/2686-2807: Thames Floods (plans and estimates for flood prevention works and plans of river frontage with elevations of riparian [situated on the banks of a river] properties)

MBW/2808-2812: Thames Soundings

MBW/2813-2830: Specifications (volumes of specifications for housing, fire stations, bridges, drainage, parks, embankments and sewers)

MBW/2831-2837: Contract Books and Registers

MBW/2838-2840: Rate Books

MBW/P: Plans

MBW/OW: Office of Works (papers relating to the Chelsea Bridge and Embankment, Westminster Bridge, Battersea Park, Kennington Park and Victoria Park)

MBW/BC: Bridge Company (papers relating to Vauxhall Bridge)

Records of the Poplar Commission of Sewers, including Letters Patent appointing Commissioners, 1702-1837; writs and warrants, 1662-1847, including writs authorizing the Commissioners to execute their office faithfully, writs discharging certain Commissioners from their duties, writs to summon juries and warrants for collection of rates; registers of orders and decrees, 1629-1847; out letter book, 1828-1843; financial accounts and rate books, 1780-1847; New Testament belonging to the Commissioners, 1797; reference book listing owners and occupiers, 1817; and maps and plans of Poplar showing sewers and levels of land.

Letters Patent appointing Commissioners, 1691-1837; minutes, agendas and reports, 1659-1847; minutes and reports of other Committees including the Committee of Accounts, Committee for Improvement of the Sewers, Committee of Rates, Committee of Works and Occasional Committee; petitions and reports, 1683-1798; papers presented to the Court, 1777-1847; Surveyor's Reports of work performed by leave of the Court, 1809-1847; information and reports from the Clerk of Works on cases of surreptitious drainage, 1810-1848; Surveyor's Reports of Work done at the charge of the District, 1775-1848; journal of large works in progress, 1838-1848; contracts and specifications, 1811-1847; presentments (a 'Presentment of the Jurors' was required before work could be carried out or a rate levied. With a few exceptions the Westminster presentments consist of lists of owners or occupiers of land and houses on whom rates could be levied), 1668-1843; decrees, (decrees gave authority for the levying of rates for work on the sewers), 1675-1847; abstracts by the Clerk of Works of work performed on the sewers, recording the amount of time spent and materials used, serving as a check on the contractors' bills, 1810-1846; copies of letters and notices sent by order of the Commissioners, 1776-1848; financial accounts, 1701-1847, including contractor's bills and payments to workmen; rate books, 1703-1848; law suits and legal opinion, 1820-1840; registers of sewers and drains, 1812-1845, including new sewers; printed reports and papers, 1830-1849, including financial accounts, statements of income and expenditure, opinions of Counsel, reports by solicitors, reports of Surveyors, proposals for changes to the management and structure of the Commission, regulations and memorandums; maps and plans of properties, sewers, districts drained by specific sewers, maps of parishes and maps of London and Middlesex, 1762-1847.

Records of Sunbury Urban District Council, 1895-1971, including presented reports; correspondence, memoranda and copies of bye-laws, relating to the adoption of certain provisions of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1907; deeds, agreements and other documents relating to The Cedars Estate, Sunbury; papers relating to a dispute between the owners of Sunbury Park Estate and the Council; agreements and contracts for various works to be carried out, particularly road maintenance works, sewer and drainage works, housing construction, civil defence structures and war damage repairs.

Records of the Westminster and Middlesex Commission of Sewers, comprising sessions rolls and an enactment for the infilling of a dock in the Long Woolstaple, Westminster.

Records of the West Kent Main Sewerage Board, including Board minutes; Committee minutes including the Finance Committee, Superannuation Joint Committee and Works Committee; financial records including registers of agreements, register of mortgages and transfers and loans ledger; letter books; and minutes of proceedings of the West Kent Drainage Bill.

Letters patent appointing the commissioners; orders of court; minutes of various Committees including the General Purposes Committee, By-laws Committee, Committee on Claims, Disposal of Refuse Committee, Finance Committee, Trial Works Committee, Sewage Manure Committee and Ordnance Survey Committee; original contracts for the construction of new sewers, including plans, sections and elevations; registers of in-letters; letter books for out-letters; drainage applications; registers of applications to construct sewers and drains; registers of proposed drainage of buildings; registers of house drainage; register of complaints; applications for private works on sewers and drains; registers of streets showing existence or absence of sewers and drains; surveyor's report books; staff records; financial accounts; rate books; printed items bound into volumes, including reports (several written by Joseph Bazalgette), papers, resolutions, prospectuses, surveys and inspections on various subjects including sewers and drains, cesspools, sewage, manure, waterways, flushing operations, public health, industrial sites, public conveniences, subterranean surveys, tides and water supply; minutes of the Commissioners and plans and maps of sewers, drains and waterways.

Copy of Court Orders of Westminster Commission of Sewers, 7 and 28 June 1709, allowing Mrs Katherine Akrode to make a drain from her house in Butcher Row, Saint Clement Danes, into the sewer there, 28 June 1709.

Receipts issued to Thomas Strafield for payment of rates to the Westminster Commission of Sewers for the Kings Scholars Pond, and to the parish of Saint James's, Westminster for the care of the poor, 1777-1778.

Minutes of the Board, 1887-1965; minutes of Finance Committee, 1916-1965; minutes of Works Committee, 1950-1965; letter books, 1909-1964; wages account books, 1893-1965; register of tenders and contracts, 1951-1954; visitors books for the Kew Sewage Works, 1891-1961; press cuttings albums, 1886-1963; booklet "The Richmond Main Sewerage Board - The Main Drainage of the District" by W. Fairley, 1926; three maps showing layout of main sewers, 1888; photographs including Colonel J.L.G. Powell, Clerk to the Board, 1887-1909; Mr Stampa W. Lambert, Chairman of the Board, 1909-1921; Lieutenant Colonel W Merrick, Member of the Board, 1909-1912 and Clerk to the Board, 1925; laying of memorial stone at the Works, 6 October 1890; group photograph taken at an Inspection of the Works, 30 July 1924 and photographs of new oil engine, 1930.

Letters patent appointing Commissioners, 1811-1837; writ to swear in Commissioners and orders to summon juries, 1795-1827; solicitor's notes offering advice for legal cases and presentments, 1780-1845; minutes of the Commissioners, 1702-1811; registers of the Commissioners, 1702-1830; minutes of the proceedings of the Committee, 1831-1847; Chairman's business papers, 1821-1838; Committee reference books, 1832-1846; extracts from the Registers, 1702-1821; order of Court for the presentment of landowners and tenants within area of Commission, 1837; order to owners and occupiers to appear in Court regarding non-payment of rates, 1831-1832; presentments of jurors, 1746-1844; reports and petitions, 1703-1749; reports of Committees, 1750-1846; petitions, officer's reports and letters, 1750-1847; petitions to open drains into sewers, 1802-1824; petition books, 1838-1847; financial accounts, 1707-1847, including accounts of works expenditure; rate books, 1703-1846; tenders, specifications, agreements and contracts by and with tradesmen for work on the sewers, 1751-1846; report of the Committee in response to statements made in the Report of the Poor Law Commissioners on the 'sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain', 1843; plans of drains and public sewers, and maps of the jurisdiction of the Commission with levels and sewers marked.

Letters Patent appointing Commissioners, 1810-1839; orders and proceedings (minutes of the Commissioners), 1625-1847; assessments and accounts, 1664-1834; assessments for the maintenance of the levels and marshes of East Greenwich, 1775-1809; annual estimates of expenditure for the Commission, 1790-1833; reports of Committees to the Court on various matters (assessments, surveys, and so on), 1833-1847; petitions, reports, legal papers, opinions of Counsel, jury presentments and surveys, 1810-1845; contracts, agreements and tenders relating to works, 1826-1845; correspondence, 1825-1839; A survey of East Greenwich with table of owners and occupiers, survey by Timothy Skynner, 1745 and enlarged copy of the 1745 plan of the land of East Greenwich showing survey alterations and the tenements and buildings which have been erected to July 1834, 1834.

Letters Patent appointing Commissioners, 1811-1837; qualification books, containing signatures of Commissioners acknowledging their allegiance to the sovereign, 1812-1847; standing orders of the Court, 1812-1826; minutes, copies of warrants, and presentments, 1683-1688; minutes of the Commissioners, 1716-1847; General Committee minutes, 1813-1847; Committee of Accounts minutes, 1813-1847; Committee of Works minutes, 1818-1847; entries of bonds and contracts, 1814-1841; specifications for contracts for new sewers, 1839-1847; description and particulars of sewers built by contract, providing name of contractor, place, length of sewer, 1821-1837; out-letter books, 1812-1847; in-letter books, 1840-1847; petitions for new sewers, 1812-1848; petitions for drains from houses to sewers, 1812-1848; clerk's monthly reports upon sewers ordered to be built upon contributions being paid, 1842-1847; complaints and applications from householders and others, 1813-1848; Surveyor's order books, 1812-1846; Surveyor's report books, 1811-1847; financial records, 1812-1849; rate books, 1779-1848; a collection of the public statutes relating to sewers and the local acts for Holborn and Finsbury Division, 1830; registers of sewers, 1849; maps and plans, 1745-1846.

Papers of the Commissioners of Sewers, City of London, covering the regulation, planning and financing of works to maintain and improve drainage, sewers, paving and lighting in and around the City of London. The papers reflect ninteenth century concerns about the pollution of the River Thames.

The collection includes plan books, 1835-1900; plans c 1770s-1840s; administrative records, 1863-1899; deeds, 1680 onwards; Journal of the Commissioner of Sewers, 1680-1898; Proceedings of the Commissioners of Sewers, 1765-1797; minute books, 1827-1898; report books, 1696-1885; printed reports, 1832-1899, including accounts and reports on sewers, pavements, housing, sanitary matters, slaughter houses, food, gas, electric lighting, water, cemeteries, cholera and tramways; letter books, 1768-1851; papers relating to street paving, 1718-1913; papers relating to the Royal Commission on Metropolitan Sewage Discharge, 1853-1903; record of air raid damage to sewers, 1940-1947; financial records, 1667-1918.

Records of Thames Water predecessor companies (water supply) and local authorities (waste water management including sewer network), comprising the following:

ACC/2558/CH: Chelsea Waterworks Company

ACC/2558/DV: Darenth Valley Main Sewerage Board

ACC/2558/EL: East London Waterworks Company

ACC/2558/GJ: Grand Junction Waterworks Company

ACC/2558/KE: Kent Waterworks Company

ACC/2558/LA: Lambeth Waterworks Company

ACC/2558/LC: Lee Conservancy Catchment Board

ACC/2558/LL: London Local Authorities, Metropolitan Board of Works, London County Council and Greater London Council

ACC/2558/MW: Metropolitan Water Board

ACC/2558/NR: New River Company

ACC/2558/S: Shadwell Waterworks Company

ACC/2558/SR: Staines Reservoir Joint Committee

ACC/2558/SV: Southwark and Vauxhall Water Company

ACC/2558/TW: Thames Water Authority

ACC/2558/WK: West Kent Main Sewerage Board

ACC/2558/WM: West Middlesex Waterworks Company

The records include corporate records and minutes, staff records, clerk's papers, records relating to water supply and distribution, technical reports, purchase records, property records, legal papers, plans, substantial series of photographs, glass plate negatives and lanterns slides (especially clean water: under ACC/2558/MW/PH, ACC/2558/MW/GP and ACC/2558/MW/L and sewer and waste water: under ACC/2558/LL/PH) and financial accounts and ledgers.

Cataloguing of this collection has been funded by Thames Water. For more information about the cataloguing project which was completed September 2019, please see 'The Thames Water Treasure Trove' in 'Source' magazine, July 2016 (library reference: 24.217 THA). London Metropolitan Archives would like to thank Thames Water for funding the cataloguing of this collection.

Records of Darenth Valley Main Sewerage Board, comprising Board meeting minute books; ledgers and register of mortgages.

Plans made by the Engineer's Department, West Ham Borough Council, 1894-1966. The collection includes building plans, site plans, proposals for projects and Ordnance Survey maps. The maps have been amended by the engineers to show proposals or extent of works. The proposals include swimming pools, recreation grounds, public baths, sewers, new roads and unemployment relief works. There is a large amount of material relating to Whipps Cross Hospital, including contract plans. A detailed index of the plans can be found in hard copy at the LMA Information Area.

Letters patent appointing Commissioners, 1727-1840; writs to swear in Commissioners and to summon juries, 1727-1830; qualification book containing forms of declaration of £100 property owners, 1834-1844; court minutes and presentments, 1569-1642; court minutes, 1677-1781; court orders, 1703-1781; court minutes and orders, 1781-1847; General Purposes Committee minutes, 1820-1847; plans and sections of sluices, sewers, washways, culverts, roads, streets and wharves; original presentments of juries, not reproduced in full in the minutes, 1743-1793; out letter books, 1833-1848; financial records, 1789-1854 and rate books, 1723-1848.

Records, [1820s]-1984, of the Chadwick Trust. Administrative papers comprise legal papers setting up the Trust, 1890-1896; minute books, 1895-1983; annual reports, 1962-1978; lists of securities, 1914-1917; corrected booklet The Chadwick Trust, 1926-1937; script of a proposed film treatment of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 1958; signing-in book for meetings, 1972-1980. Financial papers comprise account books, 1958-1979; tax claims, 1972-1976; financial files, 1972-1980; correspondence on tax reclaimed, 1980. Papers on lectures given under the auspices of the Trust comprise announcements of lectures, 1913-1935; printed copies of lectures held under the Trust's auspices, 1930-1967, the subjects including public health and buildings, sewerage, nutrition, disease, air quality, training and public health, medical provision, and public health work overseas; other printed lectures and writings, 1896-1932, the subjects including aspects of sanitation, disease, and Sir Edwin Chadwick. Correspondence comprises general correspondence, 1913-1924, 1971-1982; correspondence of the Clerk of the Trust, 1969-1979; correspondence of G M Binnie, 1944-1980; Charity Commission correspondence, 1962-1978; correspondence relating to medals and a memorial prize, 1966-1978; Trustees, 1969-1977; receptions, meetings and lectures, 1970-1978; blue plaque, 1972-1976; costing of activities, 1974; annual reports, 1974-1979; transfer of the Trust to University College London, 1974-1984. Miscellaneous items pertaining to Edwin Chadwick, [1820s]-1889, include his diary [1820s] and patents of his inventions, 1871-1872. Other acquired papers comprise printed ephemera including circulars against inoculation [1914-1918] and undated printed extracts from a hymn on sanitation. Photographs include undated prints of Edwin Chadwick and other eminent scientists; undated slides for a lecture, including various 19th-century public figures, 19th- and 20th-century mortality rates, and various London hospitals; and photographs, 1980, of a plaque to Chadwick at his birthplace in Longsight, Greater Manchester.