I want more….

Obviously school numbers had been boosted by ‘navvies’ children but why had these workers returned? In November 1852 Leeds Water Works became a council owned company with private investors receiving the princely sum of £227,417.94 Following the take over, a new 40” diameter cast iron main was laid to replace the open conduit from Blackmoor Tunnel to Weetwood and in 1866 the Seven Arches Aqueduct became redundant due to its limited capacity. A constantly rising population, higher standards of personal hygiene, the introduction of flush toilets and the increased demands of industry placed a huge strain on supplies. The Leeds Water Works Act of 1867 gave the authority permission to exploit supplies in the Washburn Valley and expand facilities at Eccup, which was to act as a storage reservoir, however, there was a limit to the amount of money that could be borrowed.95 The planned expansion of the reservoir had to wait for additional finance which was authorised by the Leeds Improvement Act of 1877. Construction of Eccup Reservoir as we know it today began almost immediately but on completion on 15 March 1885 it quickly became apparent that there was substantial leakage.96 The bank had been settled badly and so the navvies had to return once more. Over the next twelve months workmen placed ten feet of clay in the puddle wall, however, the Council eventually decided to totally reconstruct the embankment. This was a painfully slow process and had to be done in sections with brickwork pillars strengthening the structure. The average depth of the excavation below the embankment road reached as much as 180 feet! 97

But where did the navvies live and where had they come from? The 1891 Census gives a fascinating insight into these questions.98   It records that Alwoodley Old Hall had been subdivided and was being used as a lodging house for some of the workers:

4. Old Hall
Alfred Dickenson	Head	32	General Labourer	Yorkshire Leeds
Sarah Dickenson	Wife	30		Norfolk    Briston
Henry Darby	Visitor	23	Stationary Engine Driver	Norfolk    Briston
George Poynton	Visitor	50	General Labourer	Yorkshire Benton
Robert Dodgson	Visitor	45	Stationary Engine Driver	Arthington
John Reed	Visitor	47	General Labourer	Filey
William Payne	Boarder	21	General Labourer	Middlesex New Barnet
Harry Lightfoot	Boarder	29	General Labourer	Yorkshire Leeds
Robert Jarvis	Boarder	30	General Labourer	Hull
Robert Archer	Boarder	50	General Labourer	Norfolk    Litcham
George Morris	Boarder	57	General Labourer	Salop Pontesbury
5. Old Hall
John Smith	Head	36	Excavating Miner	Lancashire Liverpool
Sarah Smith	Wife	38		Lancashire Liverpool
John H. Barnett	Boarder	24	Excavating Miner	Lancashire Manchester
Henry Meggs	Boarder	49	Excavating Miner	Cheshire Birkenhead
Thomas R. Reed	Boarder	46	Excavating Miner	Lincolnshire Lincoln
William Holmes	Boarder	38	Excavating Miner	Lincolnshire Lincoln
Robert Holmes	Boarder	56	Stationary Engine Driver	Yorkshire Halifax
Phil Foster	Boarder	53	Stationary Engine Driver	Nottingham Notts
Joseph Moore	Boarder	23	Excavating Miner	Essex Graze
Andrew Male	Visitor	8		Cheshire Birkenhead

                       
Twenty-one people from all over the country were crammed into the Old Hall. It must have been a nightmare when they all returned home filthy after a day’s work!

The reservoir was finally completed in1897 to the design of Edward Filliter but the skilful engineer responsible for the critical reconstruction work was Thomas Hewson.99 By the end of the nineteenth century Leeds was supplied with 16 million gallons of water a day of which two thirds was for household consumption. Thanks to Victorian engineering most of this water flowed unaided through the pipes beneath the surface of Alwoodley to the ever-thirsty city beyond.

 

 

 

94. Leeds Corporation Waterworks Undertaking 1852 –1952 Centenary Brochure, (Leeds, 1952) p.21; A.Beal, The Leaning Towers of Adel: Stabilising the Seven Arches Aqueduct, Structural Engineer 2001.
95. Leeds Corporation Waterworks Undertaking 1852 –1952 Centenary Brochure, (Leeds, 1952) pp.26-28.
96. Leeds Corporation Waterworks Undertaking 1852 –1952 Centenary Brochure, (Leeds, 1952) p.29.
97. Leeds Corporation Waterworks Undertaking 1852 –1952 Centenary Brochure, (Leeds, 1952) p.29.
98. 1891 Census 3525 En.11.
99. Leeds Corporation Waterworks Undertaking 1852 –1952 Centenary Brochure, (Leeds, 1952) p.29.

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