Hobson's Conduit, Cambridge — the 1610s water channel from Nine Wells

A channel dug in 1610-14 to carry chalk-spring water from Nine Wells into the town, and still traceable street by street.

Hobson's Conduit is the man-made channel that brought clean water from the springs at Nine Wells into Cambridge. It was dug between 1610 and 1614 and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Much of its course runs in the open, so it can be followed on foot.

Who built it

The idea dates from 1574, when Andrew Perne, Master of Peterhouse, suggested diverting a chalk stream through the town to improve sanitation. Nothing was built then. The plan was revived by James Montagu, who led Sidney Sussex College, and the University and the town split the cost. Thomas Hobson was one of several people involved, and he endowed a trust to look after the waterway. His name stayed attached to the whole scheme.

Following the water

Its line begins at Vicar's Brook, near Long Road, and ends at a conduit head where Lensfield Road finishes. On the way it passes the west edge of the Botanic Garden and runs behind Brookside. At the conduit head the flow was split into four branches:

Trumpington Street. The original branch, running in gutters on both sides of the street, the Pem on the east side and the Pot on the west. It supplied Peterhouse and Pembroke College.
Market Place. Completed in 1614, this branch fed the fountain in the Market Place. It was cut off in 1970 during the building of the Lion Yard and has not been restored.
St Andrew's Street. Added in 1631, it ran towards Drummer Street and supplied Christ's and Emmanuel colleges, along with a public dipping point. Much of the open channel along St Andrew's Street was covered over in 1996.
Parker's Piece. The last branch fed a cattle pond, until the pond was filled in during 1827.

The monuments

A hexagonal monument stands at the corner of Lensfield Road. It began as part of the Market Place fountain, and was relocated here in 1856 once a fire in the Market had led to the square's redevelopment. A second monument at Nine Wells was put up in 1861 by public subscription and names the people who contributed to the watercourse.

Practical notes

The gutters on Trumpington Street and the Lensfield Road monument are both on public streets, a short walk apart. The springs themselves are covered on the Nine Wells page.