The Mercenary River: Private Greed, Public Good: A History of London's Water

by Nick Higham

No city can survive without water, and lots of it. Today we take the stuff for granted: turn a tap and it gushes out. But it wasn't always so. For centuries London, one of the largest and richest cities in the world, struggled to supply its citizens with reliable, clean water. The Mercenary River tells the story of that struggle from the middle ages to the present day.

Based on new research, it tells a tale of remarkable technological, scientific and organisational breakthroughs; but also a story of greed and complacency, high finance and low politics. Among the breakthroughs was the picturesque New River, neither new nor a river but a state of the art aqueduct completed in 1613 and still part of London's water supply: the company that built it was one of the very first modern business corporations, and also one of the most profitable. London water companies were early adopters of steam power for their pumps. And the Chelsea Waterworks was the first in the world to filter the water it supplied its customers: the same technique is still used to purify two-thirds of London's drinking water. But for much of London's history water had to be rationed, and the book also chronicles our changing relationship with water and the way we use it.

Amongst many stories, Nick Higham's page-turning narrative uncovers the murky tale of how the most powerful steam engine in the world was first brought to London; the extraordinary story of how one Victorian London water company deliberately cut off 2,000 households, even though it knew they had no alternative source of supply; the details of a financial scandal which brought two of the water companies close to collapse in the 1870s; and finally asks whether today's 21st century water companies are an improvement on their Victorian predecessors.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, London, Cities

480 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2023

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every human needs water to survive and in the modern world, I can turn on a tap and have more than enough to drink. Go back several hundred years though, and it was a much tougher proposition. In hamlets and small communities, it is relatively easy to source from a well or river. When you get into towns getting water to people is much harder. For a city like London, the story of its water and how it got to people is a fascinating story.

In this book, the story begins in 1478 when a man called William Campion was convicted of stealing water from the public conduit near his house in Fleet Street. His punishment was suitable public and damp. Most people, including children, drank their water in the form of beer, the brewing process made it much safer to drink. These conduits brought water into the city from outside the walls and it was in short supply and could still be tainted with all manner of pollutants.

In 1613 though the way that water was supplied to the capital changed forever. A new venture called the New River Company was formed and they built a new aqueduct into the city. This company was a new type of business and the King himself had a financial interest in it. Water was originally supplied water in bored out trunks of trees that leaked terribly, and they began to develop new pipes to stop the leaking. They were innovators in many things, using the latest technologies to get water into the capital and new filtration systems to ensure that the water was potable. In fact, these were so good that they are still used today to purify two-thirds of London’s drinking water.

It was also a licence to print money too, this business made so much money that others wanted a piece of the action too. Because there was no overall plan for the infrastructures then it was a bit of a free for all. Each water company wanted to supply water to their customer and would spend a lot of time digging up roads to lays pipes. They would also engage in nefarious activities such as cutting people off with no notice and switching customers without their permission.

I thought this was a fascinating account of the history of water in London, I learnt a lot of things reading this. Higham has a way of explaining the details of the way these companies operated that is very relatable to the general reader. Should you wish to delve into more academic papers then there are references in the back of the book. It does feel that we have gone full circle with private companies in charge of our water once again who only care about profit and avoiding tax through horrendously complex convoluted ownership structures. And the quality is heading south too with water companies being given tacit approval by the government to fill the rivers with crap once again.

[Peter Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of how London has been supplied with water by a combination of private enterprise and public authority since the Seventeenth Century.

Although I do read a lot of crime and thriller novels I do like to ‘cleanse my palate’ by reading the occasional non-fiction or sports book. Having read this book I can say that it includes a fair amount of crime, albeit corruption and a fair number of deaths due to a combination of recklessness, negligence and ignorance.

The writing is clear and concise, as would be expected from a journalist, and it is clearly a well-researched book. It is a serious book which manages to retain the reader’s interest through a series of fascinating stories and insight into the past which never becomes dusty and dry. Anyone who is interested in social or industrial history is going to lap this up.

[Iz G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niche and factually dense, but so worth the read. I learned a lot from this book not just about water but about London history in general, and loved the revelations (to me) about how societal habits, common understanding and expectations - water-related or not - have changed since medieval times. Did you know that the idea of a joint stock company was basically invented around the New River Company, and that the New River still supplies 8% of London's water?? Did you know that when London outgrew its supply of trees and people started burning coal, water demand went up because a) walls and floors got sooty and needed washed more regularly and b) coal burns hotter for longer so more water was needed to stop food from sticking, and old recipes show the move towards boiled foods like potages and stews?! Education galore

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

We take for granted that we can turn on a tap and fresh, clean water will flow out but it wasn’t always this way. The Mercenary River by Nick Higham tells the story of getting reliable and clean water into the homes of people of London. That’s no mean feat when the current population is around 9 million! The book looks at how this was accomplished from the middle ages right up to the present day. It’s well written, as you’d expect from a journalist, and extensively researched. The information is given in a way to be accessible to anyone with an interest in the subject as it’s not jargon heavy.

I learned a lot from reading this book and here are just a few interesting pieces of information I picked up. A lot of what is known about the New River Company, one of the first companies to start to get water into people’s homes, is because King James (VI & I) had a financial interest in the company and had his own copies of the records. Most of the the company’s own records were destroyed in a fire. Charles Dickens was a customer of the New River Company. There was no room designated a bathroom in Buckingham Palace in 1837 when Queen Victoria ascended the throne. In 1919 it became mandatory for new council housing to have baths installed but even as late as 1951 over a third of British households didn’t have a bath. I cannot imagine that at all. These are just a few interesting nuggets I’ve picked up but there are so many for you to discover yourself when you read the book.

Last year I read Ruth Goodman’s book The Domestic Revolution which showed the huge impact the use of coal had on the way people lived. Nick Higham references that book a few times. The Mercenary River does the same for water. With a reliable source of water came improved cleanliness and health. I found the chapters on improving sanitation and therefore public health particularly interesting and was surprised and pleased to find that Victorian women actually played a part in improving sanitation which was most unusual in those days. Of course, it is predominantly male scientists and engineers who made most of the breakthroughs in this book.

From wood to iron to plastic mains pipes, technological and engineering advances, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, made the supply of water more dependable. The great Victorian water engineers made a big difference. The famous engineer Bazalgette had a great influence on London and the River Thames which can be seen even to this day. He was involved not just in the sewerage system but also in building the embankments, several new streets and new Thames bridges too.

This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in social and industrial history. The Mercenary River is very readable, extremely informative and a very enjoyable book.

[Susan Allott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book about the history of London's water supply, which I read for research but would recommend to anyone interested in the social history of the UK. At its heart is the message that public utilities - especially those which we rely on for our survival - are in direct conflict with capitalism, because corporations are inherently self-interested. Shareholders' interests will always come before the interests of the consumer. But the author doesn't over-egg this message at all. I kept reading sections out to my husband as I was reading - amazing to think that in the mid-19th century there still wasn't a constant water supply to the whole of London and people didn't believe that diseases such as typhus and cholera could be water-borne.

[Hilary Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mercenary River is an account of London’s water supply and sewage. The author is a journalist who loves history. The early part of the book describes how water companies came into existence, how inventions and the Industrial Revolution accelerated development and expansion of London. The political landscape of the day, business practices and individual characters were researched through the London Metropolitan Archive among a huge array of sources. The notes, bibliography and index cover 62 of 470 pages. There are some interesting photos, but these were separated from the text to which they were relevant. The chapter on the development of the consumer movement is fascinating. It highlighted widespread corruption and self interest which journalists continue to expose today, but are also more likely to be in the public domain through public enquiries. Nick Higham gave a talk about his book and the river at the local U3A, which is in the catchment area of the New River, still visible as a walking trail in certain parts of North London. I can imagine this book supplementing the reading list of students of politics and business as well as being of local historical interest.

[Artie LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wideranging history of London's water supply, very fully researched, and I have learned a lot from it.

I have two cavils: firstly, it does not explore how the many generations before the coming of the water companies coped. Was there water-borne disease? Evidence of baths? Instead, it leaps in to the late mediaeval, and also is sketchy on the long 20c period when water was municipally run.

Which brings me to my second cavil: too much extraneous anecdote - snippets about individuals which are intended to amuse or shock, but which add little to the main story, and that feel like padding.

[Sue Pit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an informative book detailing the history of the use of providing water to London and all the issues and efforts involved therein. It can be tedious reading at times but at other times very interesting and informative. Definitely informative generally, but sometimes the relatively dense information is more compelling and/or interesting than at other times. To this day providing water to London continues to be an evolving process with ongoing issues (e.g. privatization v public; providing sufficient water; costs; sanitation issues and leaks/ water waste).

[Julian Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing and at times unbelievable history of the water trade in London.

Starting from a point of 16th century money making, right up to today where it has come full circle and is once more all about ... money making, this is hugely engaging history, superbly told, and absolutely fascinating.

A great and thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly researched book, Mercenary River has it all, from strange punishments for water theft and sabbaticals for piracy, to the corruption and collusion of the water industry in the Victorian and modern eras. A really in depth study and a must read for those who like London history.

[Toby Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly well researched and readable swim through the murky world of London water. Quite apart from the anecdotes about the eccentric, driven and, on occasion, downright venal characters who created the capital’s supply there’s a fascinating discourse on how water created the financial world we now live in; how private profit and investment still sits alongside public need and still uses the financial plumbing almost as much as we still use the actual plumbing.

Definitely recommend it as a read.

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful examination of the history of London's water. While there are those that have the public good as motivation for this most essential of human needs, overwhelmingly it has been managed by absolute greed. For a brief time the ownership of London's water was brought into public ownership, but thanks to Thatcher and the ideology of Private Sector it was soon sold off yet again with even more disastrous results than the previous catastrophes. Anyone who is angry about the current state of the water in the UK should read this book.