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. And, of course, the struggle for clean water was accompanied by the equally challenging task of removing dirty water and effluent, as the Thames turned into “one great cesspit” and its tributaries, like Camden’s River Fleet, were turned into hidden sewers. Nick's talk is based on his book, The mercenary river: private greed, public good: a history of London’s water (Headline, 2022), which tells the story of that struggle from the middle ages to the present day. Based on new research, it is 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.  

Nick Higham is a journalist and former BBC correspondent.  

Admission: Free to members. Non-members welcome (£2 at the door).