Mains Water Supply

Research by Miles Marshall

RURAL DISTRICTS WATER COMPANY It was sometime in the 1920’s that a German water engineer named Wurger founded the “Rural Districts Water Company”, based in Monks Risborough, to supply the district with spring water.   Many cast iron valve covers in Lacey Green are still marked RDWC, but on a manhole cover by the hydrant outside Pond Cottage in Main Road I was delighted to find the name spelled out in full.

FROM THE SPRING TO THE TOP OF THE HILL In those days the water taken from the spring was not actually pumped but forced alternately from two large cylinders by compressed air.   Later he sunk a borehole to augment the supply and built his first reservoir tank near Whiteleaf Golf Club.   He then built another iron tank on legs at the top of Whiteleaf Hill, on the present site of the Green Hailey Water Tower.   A concrete tower of rather more comely proportions was built to replace Mr Wurger’s iron one, by the Bucks Water Board.

THE RESIDENT ENGINEER The RDWC employed as its resident engineer, a man by the name of Hain, who was working on the Chequers Estate before Lord Lee gave it to the nation.   Happily I have been able to contact Mr. Hain’s son who, still living in the district, was born at Chequers, brought up in his father’s bungalow at the waterworks and very kindly filled in for me many threatening blanks in my story. Mr Hain retired in 1952, about the time the Bucks Water Board took over.

THE MAINS EXTENDED The Green Hailey Tank enabled the RDWC to extend their mains to Redland End and then along to The Pink and Lily, down to Lily Bottom Lane and then from the inn, along Pink Road to Lacey Green village.   This was 1934.   Dick West very kindly looked up his old ledger for me and it was completed by Christmas to Stocken Farm.   His water rate then was two pounds for the half year.

THE CONTRACTORS Naturally all this took time; the mains were laid by a firm called Davis of Amersham who, I am told, did a very good job, but were bankrupted by the exercise so that another contractor had to called in to finish the work.   Newitts of Risborough did a lot of work on joining individual services to the mains.    Eventually they were run to Speen and Hampden Bottom, where another borehole and pumping station were established.

HOUSES HAD TO BE JOINED TO THE MAIN Naturally all this took time; the mains were laid by a firm called Davis of Amersham who, I am told, did a very good job, but were bankrupted by the exercise so that another contractor had to called in to finish the work.   Newitts of Risborough did a lot of work on joining individual services to the mains.   Eventually they were run to Speen and Hampden Bottom, where another borehole and pumping station were established.

MY STORY UP TO DATE

To bring my story up to date, I called by appointment at the Aylesbury offices of Thames Water.   I was most courteously received by Mr M.G. Ingham the Operations Engineer who willingly explained to me the changes that had taken place since and the basis of the present supply.   Mr. P. J. Crowe, the Area Manager, subsequently read through my first draft story ad has been most helpful in clarifying many points in the later history.

THE WATER WORKERS’ STRIKE