Twentieth Century
The private water companies were nationalised at the beginning of the 20th century. The Metropolis Water Act 1902 (2 Edw.7, c.41) created the Metropolitan Water Board. It was founded in 1903 and as originally constituted in the Act had 67 members; 65 of these were nominated by local authorities, who appointed a paid chairman and vice-chairman. The board compulsorily acquired the following water companies:
- The New River Company
- The East London Waterworks Company
- The Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company
- The West Middlesex Waterworks Company
- The Lambeth Waterworks Company
- The Chelsea Waterworks Company
- The Grand Junction Waterworks Company
- The Staines Reservoirs Joint Committee
Also acquired at no cost were the water undertakings of Tottenham and Enfield Urban District Councils.
The MWB opened the East London Waterworks reservoirs Banbury Reservoir and Lockwood Reservoir, and the Bessborough Reservoir, Knight Reservoir and Island Barn Reservoirs at Molesey. It also opened the Kempton Park Reservoirs in around 1907.
In 1910, extraction facilities were opened at Hythe End and the Staines Reservoir Aqueduct was built to supply water to Hampton. The Metropolitan Water Board Railway was opened in 1916 to carry coal from the river at Hampton to Kempton Park. An engine house with powerful steam engines was opened at Kempton Park in 1929, which has now become Kempton Park Steam Engines museum.
The MWB opened a succession of reservoirs - King George V Reservoir, (Lea Valley) in 1912, Queen Mary Reservoir (Ashford) in 1925, King George VI Reservoir (Stanwellmoor) in 1947 William Girling Reservoir (Lea Valley) in 1951, Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir (Molesey) 1962, Wraysbury Reservoir 1967, and Queen Mother Reservoir (Staines) 1976.
The Metropolitan Water Board and other local Water Boards were later combined into the Thames Water Authority, which was later privatized as Thames Water, a state-regulated private company which currently provides London's water supply.
Read more about this topic: London Water Supply Infrastructure
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