For more than four centuries, drinking water fit for kings and queens had to be supplied to Hampton Court Palace. How and where did it come from?
Hampton Court was one of the most important royal residences in England between the 1500s and 1800s. It remains world-famous in the 21st century for its hedge maze, stunning gardens and association with King Henry VIII.
Less well-known is the clever way Hampton Court received fresh water for its grounds and the use of those living and working inside the palace.
Long before pumps, filtration plants and modern plumbing, a small stone building and a series of pipes formed an ingenious water management system ahead of its time.
Hampton Court and its need for fresh water
The story begins in the early 1500s. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey had grand plans for transforming Hampton Court into a lavish palace; one which would require a reliable source of clean water far beyond local sources.
Natural springs on the grounds were insufficient. And whilst Hampton Court sits next to the River Thames, it could not be used for drinking because of pollution and contamination. Its water was suitable for ponds and firefighting but nothing else.
When Henry VIII seized the palace from Wolsey in 1525, he expanded it significantly. There were breweries, laundries and hundreds of occupants needing a steady flow of clean water.
The natural spring at Coombe
Nearly three miles away at Coombe Hill near Kingston upon Thames lay a natural spring producing exceptionally pure water.
Coombe sits on higher ground than Hampton Court, meaning gravity alone could help transfer the water in an age before mechanised pumping.
To capture and move this spring water, engineers constructed three small conduits. These were known was Upper, Middle and Lower Coombe.
Each conduit started with a building made of stone. They acted as collection chambers, settling tanks and junction points where water could be regulated and channelled into pipes.
How the Coombe Conduit supplied drinking water to Hampton Court
Water bubbled up from the chalk spring beneath Coombe Hill and flowed into the three conduit houses. The stone vaults kept the water clean and cool, filtering out debris and preventing contamination from livestock or surface run off.
From the conduit chamber, the water entered a network of stone and lead pipes. Lead was the preferred material for much of the network, being malleable enough to shape into long lengths and durable enough to withstand burial.
The route from Coombe Hill to Hampton Park followed a gentle downward slope through fields and woodland for almost three miles. Gravity provided all the pressure needed to maintain a steady flow.
Once the water arrived at the palace, it was collected in storage cisterns. It was then distributed across Hampton Court, including to what were one of the largest palace kitchens in the world at the time.
By the mid-Tudor period, the Coombe Conduit supplied all the palace’s everyday drinking water. It allowed Hampton Court to function as a self-contained estate capable of supporting kings, queens, princes, princesses, residents, servants and visitors.
The fresh water supply system was not the only innovative feature to first appear in England at Hampton Court. The palace is one of the earliest buildings known to feature bay sash windows.
And despite the passing of hundreds of years, the stone houses of the Coombe Conduit and those windows can still be seen by visitors to this day. Although there have obviously been plenty of bay sash window repairs needed in the intervening half-a-millennium.
Water towers and mechanical pumps
By the 1600s and the further expansion of Hampton Court by the Stuart monarchs, the palace saw its water needs increasing again.
King William III and Queen Mary II were heavily influenced by baroque style, meaning new gardens, fountains and ornamental water features were all installed during their reign – such as The Great Fountain Garden and The Long Water.
To keep water flowing at high pressure, more innovation was needed. A large water tower was constructed near the palace kitchens, equipped with mechanical pumps.
A horse powered pumping system was introduced and waterwheels were installed along the Longford River, an artificial waterway stretching for 12 miles which forms The Long Water at the palace today.
Even with these additions to the drinking water supply system of Hampton Court through the 16th and 17th centuries, the Coombe Conduit remained a vital source until the 1800s when modern water mains were connected.
Lead pipes and Hampton Court drinking water
The 19th century introduction of mains water and up-to-date plumbing at Hampton Court arrived around the same time as the dangers posed by lead pipes were discovered by the Victorians.
Not that Henry VIII or any of his successors needed to worry too much about the presence of lead in water from the Coombe Conduit. Because the conduit unknowingly mitigated some of the risk.
Water continually flowing through the system between Coombe Hill and Hampton Park reduced stagnation and the opportunity for lead to enter the supply.
Extensive boiling in the brewhouse and kitchens of the palace also helped. In fact, beer was drunk more than water at many royal residences because it had been boiled during brewing and was therefore safer.
Hampton Court produced thousands of gallons of beer per year. Sounds like my sort of place…
Hampton Court Palace water supply in the 21st century
As the palace transitioned from a royal home to a historic site and tourist attraction, its plumbing followed suit with a fully modern system now installed.
Visitors can still though see traces of the historic water systems of Hampton Court. The stone buildings of the Coombe Conduit remain tucked away in a surburban part of Kingston, preserved by English Heritage and occasionally opened to the public.
There are some remnants of lead and stone pipes, whilst the Stuart-period water tower base was integrated into palace architecture when decommissioned.
Hampton Court have even put on exhibitions showing how water reached the kitchens and gardens – a fascinating reminder of the world-leading fresh water supply system put in place back in the 1500s.
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