The New River is neither new nor a river, it is a water supply aqueduct, completed in 1613, to bring drinking water from Hertfordshire to North London. Since 1992, Thames Water has worked with local people and partners to create a 28-mile long-distance footpath that follows the course of the New River, linking the inner city to the open countryside.

The route follows, wherever possible, the historic water channel, as well as some straightened and piped sections between the New River`s starting point near Hertford to its original end in Islington

The New River remains an essential part of London’s water supply, carrying up to 220 megalitres (48 million gallons) daily for treatment; this represents some 8 per cent of London’s daily water consumption.

The water level in the New River is regulated by means of sluice gates to meet the requirements of the pumping stations and reservoirs. The White House Sluice gate on the Hertfordshire section, which is over 200 years old, needed considerable repair, and under our Framework Agreement with Thames Water we were appointed to carry out the restoration works. The building, although small, is a renowned piece of history in the Thames Water asset base.

After initial structural and ecological surveys were completed and asbestos removal, we erected extensive scaffold protection to prevent any debris entering the watercourse. Due to the base of the building collapsing caused by the hardwood timber base plate rotting, we relaced structural timbers to the walls, roof, and foundations, along with repairs to damaged brickwork and masonry.

The external timber cladding was extensively damaged and so this was replaced, and roof repairs included replacement tiles and flaunching. We then carried out a full internal and external redecoration using a Dulux Weathershield specification.

Outside of the White House we installed new Thames Water standard railings and gate to the bridge that crosses the waterway as well as shot-blasted, needle gunned and decorated the surrounding railings.

The building houses the original local stone gauge which we DOFF cleaned and sympathetically restored.

The £120k project was scheduled for 16 weeks and was completed during the summer of 2023.