Seething Wells

Coordinates: 51°23′36″N 0°18′47″W / 51.39344°N 0.31310°W / 51.39344; -0.31310
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the journalist and poet, see Steven Wells.

Seething Wells
A307
Seething Wells is located in Greater London
Seething Wells
Seething Wells
Location within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ173674
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSURBITON
Postcode districtKT6
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
London
51°23′36″N 0°18′47″W / 51.39344°N 0.31310°W / 51.39344; -0.31310

Seething Wells is a neighbourhood in southwest

filter beds
— the Seething Wells Filter Beds — in the northwest part of the area that borders the Thames.

Etymology

The name is a gradual corruption of the original Siden Wells which appears on maps from the 18th century, recorded as the medicinal spring at Soothing Wells in a time-of-construction guide to the South Western railway and its neighbouring countryside.[1] It denoted springs — reportedly warm springs of potable water.

Geography

Seething Wells Filter Beds

Seething Wells is considered to roughly consist of any land previously used as a waterworks on the southeast bank of the Thames facing Hampton Court Park.[2] This land lies primarily in Surbiton in Greater London, although a small part of this land extends into Elmbridge in Surrey.[3][4][2]

The Seething Wells area is now primarily residential, bordering

hall of residence for Kingston University, and an old waterworks building that has been converted inside into a gym.[6][7] On the east side is a clock tower in a small area called Electric Parade.[8] A small plot of land inside the residential area is still used for pumping water, operated by Thames Water
.

Marina in the west of Seething Wells

Towards the west end of the Seething Wells riverbank there is a marina.

Ravens Ait around 20 metres further northeast in the river.[12]

The decommissioned filter beds are within the 0.23 km2 Riverside South

Conservation Area which was identified in 2003.[13]

History

There is no evidence of any substantial early settlement of the area, although a few

wells (giving rise to the name "Seething Wells") that were purported to have healing properties.[14] In 1808 the area was enclosed for the first time, by the Baron King, and by this point had become occupied by around 200 people.[14]

The Metropolis Water Act 1852 prohibited the extraction of water for household purposes from the tidal Thames. The Lambeth Waterworks Company anticipated this by choosing to build their works at Seething Wells in 1847, which were purchased around 1849, and completed and opened in 1852.[15][14] Another company - the Chelsea Waterworks Company - joined the Lambeth Waterworks Company here, they started construction in 1854 and opened in 1856.[15][14] The Lambeth Waterworks played a part in John Snow's investigations into cholera; he showed that homes supplied from further downriver by the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company had a cholera mortality rate 14 times that of homes supplied by Seething Wells, which was upriver and hence had cleaner water.[16][17]

Remaining, functioning, surface level water pipes in the residential area

Despite carrying less disease, the inlets at Seething Wells sucked up too much mud with the water because of turbulence caused by the

Metropolitan Water Board in 1903, which was in turn incorporated into the Thames Water Authority in 1973.[18][19] The water treatment works was privatized as part of Thames Water in 1989, and it was mostly decommissioned by Thames Water in 1992 — a pumping station on Simpson Way now supplies the area with water from the Thames Water Ring Main.[20][11]

In the early 21st century, most of the old waterworks were turned into a residential area, with the notable exception of 7 decommissioned filter beds — the Seething Wells Filter Beds.[11] Several of the old waterworks buildings were converted inside, instead of being knocked down.

The Electric Parade area and the 130 year old Victoria Recreation Park at the edge of Seething Wells were not located inside the actual waterworks.

WWII and replaced with a bell.[8]

Transport

Seething Wells is served on behalf of

K3 bus route, run by London United Busways. There are also the Seething Wells Kingston University Campus, St Leonard's Road, and Cleaveland Road bus stops, run by several other private companies.[22][23][24][25][26]

The area is also around half a mile from Surbiton railway station.

Additionally, there are passenger ferries just north of the river facing side of Seething Wells.

See also

References

  1. W. Clowes and Sons
    , London, 1839 Retrieved 2015-03-02
  2. ^ a b "Landscape Character Reach, 3. Portsmouth Road" (PDF). Thames Landscape Strategy.
  3. ^ ""Chelsea Waterworks"". www.ph.ucla.edu.
  4. ^ "Location of Lambeth Waterworks at Seething Wells". www.ph.ucla.edu.
  5. ^ a b Google (25 April 2020). "Seething Wells" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Seething Wells - Halls of residence - Accommodation - Kingston University London". www.kingston.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  7. ^ Google (25 April 2020). "Nuffield Health Surbiton Fitness & Wellbeing Gym" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-1445668383
    .
  9. ^ Google (25 April 2020). "Thames Ditton Marina" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Seething Wells Filter Beds". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "AppealRef:APP/Z5630/A/13/2197943, Seething Wells Filter Beds, Portsmouth Road, Surbiton, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey". Historic England. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  12. ^ Google (25 April 2020). "Stewart Marine" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  13. ^ List of conservation areas - Riverside South Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. Retrieved 2015-03-02
  14. ^ a b c d e "Seething Wells and the local area" (PDF). Seething Wells Water. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  15. ^
    ISBN 9781445656489
    .
  16. ^ "Location of water companies". www.ph.ucla.edu.
  17. ^ "Proof from Seething Wells". seethingwellswater.org.
  18. ^ a b "A Guide To The Industrial Archaeology Of The Borough Of Elmbridge". www.moleseyhistory.co.uk.
  19. ^ "The Thames Water Authority Constitution Order 1973". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Privatising Thames Water". OpenLearn. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  21. ^ "Planners refuse phone mast in Surbiton's Victoria Rec | The Good Life". 4 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Electric Parade". Transport for London. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Victoria Recreation Ground". Transport for London. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  24. ^ Google (13 June 2020). "Seething Wells Kingston University Campus" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  25. ^ Google (13 June 2020). "St Leonard's Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  26. ^ Google (13 June 2020). "Cleaveland Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
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