THE HISTORY OF SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE WATERWORKS COMPANY 1853 - 1989 Johann Van Leerzem Brian Williams CONTENTS Chapter 1 1853 - 1864 Page The South Staffordshire Mining District Water Company 1 Merger plans fail 3 Founding of the South Staffordshire Water Works Company 4 The 1853 Act of Parliament 6 Early meetings and publicity 9 Tenders for the works 12 Proposed alteration to plans and Lichfield's opposition 13 Digging the first sod 16 Opposition to the 1857 Amendment Act 18 Letting of contracts 22 Walsall Reservoir 23 Opening of the works 24 A supply to Walsall 28 Dudley's water supply 31 The 14th half yearly meeting report 36 Improving the mains network and the Take-Over of Dudley Water Works Company 37 Coneygre Reservoir, Tipton 39 First engineering staff appointment 40 West Bromwich water supply 40 Problems in the early eighteen sixties 41 Summary of the works 43 The 1864 Act of Parliament 44 Resignation of John McClean as Engineer and appointment of William Vawdry 45 Chapter 2 1865 - 1894 Third Engine installed at Lichfield 46 The 1866 Act of Parliament 46 Take over of Burton on Trent Water Works Company 47 Tamworth's water supply 48 Sale of early plant 52 Death of S.H. Blackwell 52 Increase on revenue account 53 Death of first Chairman 53 Election of second Chairman 53 Shavers End Reservoir at Dudley 54 The West Bromwich, Oldbury and Smethwick Water Bill 57 Supply difficulties in the 1870's 61 New pumping station at Wednesbury 63 Additional plant at Lichfield 64 Walsall's supply problems 65 Temporary water supplies obtained 66 Death of a Chairman and the beginning of the Frank James era 67 Dr. Ballard's sanitary report of Dudley 68 The 1875 Act of Parliament to provide for works at Cannock and Rowley 69 The Cannock water supply 74 Mining subsidence 75 A demand for shares and water 76 Water pilfering 77 Water wastage and complaints 79 The Bateman Report 80 The Engineer's report of the trunk mains network 81 ii Disposal of Parkes Hall Reservoir, Dudley 82 A supply to Halesowen 83 Shares converted into stock 83 1878 facts and figures 84 Death of Richard Jesson 84 Update of district supplies 84 Hanch Reservoir built 85 The effects of a burst main at Cannock 86 Dirty water at Sedgley 87 A covered reservoir at Burton on Trent 87 Contamination of the Lichfield streams 88 Area offices at Burton on Trent and Tipton 90 Storage tank provided at Cawney Hill, Dudley 91 Length of mains laid 92 Chase Terrace supplied 92 Water charges based on rateable value 92 Deaths of the Company Solicitor and the last of the original directors 92 Problems in Sutton Coldfield 96 Typhoid epidemic at Cradley 97 The 1888 Act of Parliament 98 Smethwick water praised 99 Severe winter of 1890/91 99 Mines water used to supplement the supply 100 Increased demand and proposals for new sources of supply 100 The 1893 Act of Parliament and provision of works at four sites 102 Sedgley problems solved 105 Sad loss of an Engineer 106 Appointment of Engineer 106 Chapter 3 1895 - 1917 New Engineer faces a crisis, frosts, a drought then smoke 108 Worms in the supply in 1896 112 Area office set up at Bridgeman Street, Walsall 112 Source of supply developed near Kingswinford 113 Bourne Vale Pumping Station 114 Facts and figures of 1896 115 Barr Beacon Reservoir 115 Facts and figures for 1897 and 1898 116 Development at Seven Springs, near Rugeley 117 Proposed purchase of a part of Birmingham Waterworks 118 Water shortage in 1899 119 Sutton Coldfield Depot 120 Six pumping stations and a reservoir, planned and built 121 Hinksford Pumping Station 121 Development at Springsmire, Dudley 122 Trent Valley Pumping Station 123 Pumping stations built at Brindley Bank, Pipe Hill and Maple Brook 124 Fifty years on 127 Cannock Depot opened 128 The Company's first water tower built 129 Rumours of the Company being offered for sale 130 Requests to visit the works of the Company not allowed 130 Frank James stands down as Chairman 131 iii New Chairman elected and the important 1909 Act of Parliament 135 A landmark at Dudley's highest point and development at Cawney Hill 138 Water supplied to Romsley near Halesowen 139 A uniform scale of charges established 139 Original mains to Dudley abandoned 141 Death of the Chairman and the election of F.H. Lloyd 141 The 1913 Act of Parliament, strongly opposed by Sutton Coldfield 142 The First World War years and the 1915 Act of Parliament 145 Change of Chairman and the fatal accident of F.H. Lloyd 147 Resignation of the Engineer in Chief 149 Chapter 4 1917 - 1944 New Engineer faces a water shortage 150 A supply afforded from Baggeridge Colliery, Sedgley 150 Facts and figures of 1919 151 The 1922 Act of Parliament 151 The construction of Cawney Hill Reservoir, Dudley 154 Wednesbury Reservoir and Shire Oak Reservoir covered over 154 A blot on the landscape at Sedgley 154 Completion of a station authorised by the 1915 Act of Parliament 155 Original pumping plant at Sandfields replaced and new filtration plant installed 156 Cheslyn Hay Waterworks Take-Over 157 Final work allowed for in the 1915 Act of Parliament, completed 158 Facts and figures of 1925 159 Works authorised by the 1922 Act of Parliament completed 159 Prestwood Pumping Station 162 Kinver's early water supply 163 Kinver Waterworks acquired 167 New works at Kinver 168 New reservoir constructed at Dudley 169 Replacement for Scout House Reservoir 171 New station near Sutton Coldfield 171 The Reservoir (Safety Provisions) Act 1930 172 Lichfield's water supply, the oldest in the area 172 Purchase of land for Seedy Mill works 174 Fact and figures of 1930 174 Well supplies still in use in 1930 175 Romsley Tower 175 Waste water department set up 176 The 1932 Act of Parliament 176 Take over of Rolleston waterworks Company 180 Water tower constructed on Cannock Chase 180 Station constructed at Sandhills 181 Sutton Coldfield object to works in town 181 The 1936 Act of Parliament 182 Additional supply afforded to Burton on Trent 183 Hanbury Tower built 184 New reservoir at Walsall 184 A start on the River Blithe Scheme 185 Typhoid deaths at Croydon, and the need for sterilisation of supplies 186 New development near Lichfield 187 Tower built at Warley 188 The Second World War 188 iv Chapter 5 1944 - 1989 New Chairman and New Engineer in Chief 193 Updating of the Waterworks Code 193 Communication system installed 193 Supply from the Elan Aqueduct to Hayley Green 194 A second reservoir at Barr Beacon 195 The River Blithe Scheme 195 The Blithe Valley Sewage Scheme 199 Completion of development at Seedy Mill 200 Development at Churchill and Hagley 201 Booster stations 203 Railway siding at Wood Green disused 203 Scouting event at Sutton Coldfield 204 Resignation of Chairman and Engineer 205 The River Severn Scheme 206 Original railway main repaired and abandoned 212 Development at Cookley 213 A water supply to Tutbury 214 Eleven booster stations commissioned during the 1960's 215 Take over of Tamworth Waterworks 216 The winter of discontent 219 A water supply to Rugeley 219 Lichfield take over and pools handed back 225 New roof for Barr Beacon Reservoir 225 Uttoxeter and Seisdon Water Works acquired 226 Booster stations at Rocester and Tamworth 227 The last of the steam engines 228 Museum at Brindley Bank 229 Engineer retires 229 Reorganisation of water industry 229 The drought of 1975 229 New works at Tamworth 230 Connection between Cookley and Elan Valley Aqueduct 231 Retirement of Chairman 231 James Lamont retires 231 Mergers and Monopolies Commission 232 New computer, remote meter reading scheme and digital mapping 232 Consultative Committee formed 233 Control Room at Walsall 234 Retirement of Engineer 235 Appointment of Managing Director 235 Fluoride added to supplies 235 Nitrates 236 The Company in Malawi 236 Descaling Contract 237 Privatisation Bill in Parliament 238 The National Garden Festival 238 Overseal Reservoir completed 238 Old steam engines removed from Hopwas 239 Open Days 239 Regulations of 1853 to the new model bye laws of 1987 240 Area of supply and the Company's works 244 v Proposals for water rate based on rateable value to be phased out 245 New contracts overseas 246 Research on nitrate reduction 246 Chapter 6 The Head Offices and Secretaries Chapter 7 Engineers, General Managers and Managing Directors John Robinson McClean 257 Francis Croughton Stileman 261 Henry John Marten 262 William Vawdry 264 Henry Ashton Hill 265 Fredric John Dixon 267 Robert Arthur Robertson 269 Randall Henderson Taylor 270 James Lamont 270 William A. Markham 271 James Carter 272 Chapter 8 The Company's employees Contractors construct early works 274 Resident Engineers and first employees 274 Engineering and Secretarial Departments Formed 277 Pumping station workers 278 Workforce in 1865 278 Water rate collection staff 278 Wage rise requested 281 Movement of labour to other areas 281 Tied housing 282 Action taken to prevent accidents 282 Employees in 1885 283 Communications, travel and tools 283 Clothing issued 284 Discipline and court action taken against employees and shareholders 285 A humorous moment 289 Presentations 289 Holidays and wages 290 Laboratory staff 291 Holidays in 1914 and union membership 291 Hours of work and holiday entitlement from 1937 293 I.D. cards issued 294 Conditions of service served on watermen 294 Rates of pay in the 1940's 295 Long service employees 296 Annual retired member's outings 297 Formation of the Staff Association 294 The Company's Superannuation Scheme 297 Launch of Company magazine 300 Sporting and social activities 300 vi Ex-servicemens social events 302 Transport policies 303 CHAPTER 1 1853 - 1864 Organised waterworks for the provision of water to towns and cities were not generally established until the beginning of the nineteenth century.