More information : TQ 390 770: Conduits in Greenwich Park.
Recorded during the RCHME Greenwich Park Survey, Sep-1993 to Feb-1994.
A system of underground tunnels, or conduits, designed to bring water from Blackheath to the buildings of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich.
At least three conduits are known to exist under Greenwich Park. From west to east they are the Hyde Vale conduit (TQ 37 NE 89), the conduits near Queen Elizabeth's Oak (TQ 37 NE 90) and that which ends at the conduit head beneath One Tree Hill (TQ 37 NE 88). The latter is now inaccessible.
The surviving conduits are broadly similar, both being brick tunnels large enough, or nearly large enough, for a person to walk upright. Their large size and elaborate construction caused Webster to doubt whether they were used to channel water and have spawned a series of misleading alternative interpretations, such as secret escape routes for the Tudor monarchy. In fact, there is little doubt that the conduits were designed to supply water - a survey carried out in 1695 was specifically established to assess the suitability of existing conduits for this purpose. The large size of the surviving tunnels was necessary to facilitate access for maintenance purposes.
A number of common features demonstrate the workings of the conduit system. Each conduit was designed to collect and channel water from the high ground on Blackheath to the foot of the Greenwich escarpment; thus, each system runs from south to north. The pattern is dendritic, several capillaries at the head of the system channelling water into a main artery.
For fully referenced details see the archive report.
See survey plans at 1:1000 scale archived with record TQ 37 NE 69 (UID 610590). (1) |