Sheffield Water Works Company

[Ponytail]

Sheffield Water Works, General Plan of Works. 1938.

Image from Brief History and Particulars of the Sheffield Waterworks, 1938 (Sheffield Local Studies Library: PAMP 1338 S)

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[Ponytail]

 Beginnings of Sheffield Water Works. 

Extracts from Reminiscences of old  Sheffield, its streets and it's people. Edited by Robert Eadon Leader 1875 from articles and letters from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 1872/3.

Page 42.

Twiss: The original water-house of the Water Company is still standing, at the sharp angle between Pinfold Street and Campo Lane. It has just come into the possession of the Town Trustees, and will doubtless soon be sacrificed on the altar of street improvements. A comparison of this with the present handsome premises of the Company, in Barker Pool, exhibits very strikingly the contrast between the old order of things and the new.

Leighton: In the angular space at the top of Townhead street, formed by the meeting of Church Street, Bow Street, Pinfold Street, and Townhead Street, stood formerly the Townhead cross. None of us can remember it — I doubt whether any of us know when it disappeared, or whither it went; but that is no reason for passing it by without notice.

Twiss: The premises at the top of Townhead Street now occupied by Mr. Jackson, pork-butcher, have a history. Here resided, more than a century ago, Mr. Matthewman, who was one of the originators of the Water Company. In 1744, he and Mr. Battie succeeded to the powers granted in 1713 to Messrs. Goodwin and Littlewood by the Lord of the Manor, and constructed the first works at Crookes moor. He was the maternal grandfather of Mr. Albert Smith.

Everard: This house was occupied for some years by Mr. Moorhouse, surgeon, who got killed by a fall from his horse. On his decease, Mr. James Kay, who had served his time with him, purchased the business of the widow; and, after living and carrying on his profession on the premises for a considerable period, he built and removed to the house in Victoria street, Glossop road. At the time it was generally thought he was going too far out into the country. Mr. Kay was a tall and noble-looking man, more especially when on horseback.

 

Page 135.

Leighton: The old Lancasterian school — before that a riding school, as its rough interior will enable you readily to believe — has broken out into shops since the new schools were built in Bowling Green Street. Some seventy or eighty years ago, or so, that building and the "Water-house" at the bottom of Allen Lane, where the Burkinshaws were accustomed to preside over the sale of water by the bucketful, were the extremity of the town in this direction. On the premises last mentioned, the wooden water pipes, which may occasionally be seen when the Company is making repairs, were bored by hand. Some of them were taken up from Broad Lane only a short time ago.

Johnson: That property was sold by the Duke of Norfolk to Mr. Matthewman and the original proprietors of the Water Company, and it was in their possession in 1741. It was afterwards sold to Lawyer Hoyle, and then to its present occupier, Mr. Laycock.

 

Pages 261-263. 

Everard: We must not pass without a mention the site of the beginning of Sheffield's Water Works, when springs were found to be no longer adequate. Although its history is so well known that we need not dwell on it, suffer me to remark that in its later days it was a square walled-in pool, and that it was allowed to remain until, instead of a benefit, it had become a stagnant nuisance.

Leighton: The first house erected on its site was built in 1793, by Mrs. Hannah Potter, as a public-house, with the odd sign of "Well run Dimple"— an exclamation of commendation addressed to a horse that distinguished itself on Crookes Moor racecourse.

Johnson: Forgive me for once more quoting James Wills, as he not only describes the old pool, but narrates an incident of some interest : —

"The Barker's Pool, noted for nuisance indeed, Green over with venom, where insects did breed, And forming a square, with large gates in the wall, Where the Rev. Charles Wesley to sinners did call. Once when he was preaching, an officer bold March'd up through his audience, adorned with gold. Mr. Wesley perceived him with drawn sword in hand, And open'd his waistcoat as he saw him stand, Being fill'd by repentance by hearing the word. In those days persecution, that giant of hell, Stalk'd along in mad frolic; and, strange for to tell, Pursued the poor Christians, abused them sore, Resolv'd that those people should never preach more; But the Wesleys and Whitfields, being fraught with pure zeal, Not fearing their lives, for sinners did feel; And the Mulberry Street preaching house being too small, Wesley stood with his back against Barker's Pool wall."

Leonard: Mr. Samuel Roberts gives a curious account of one of the uses to which Barker pool was put in his young days. "It was," he says, "well walled round. In the event of a fire (happily a very rare one) the water, on being let off, could be directed to most parts of the town. All the channels were then in the middle of the streets, which were generally in a very disorderly state; manure heaps often lying in them for a week together. About once every quarter the water was let out of Barker pool, to run into all those streets into which it could be turned, for the purpose of cleansing them. The bellman gave notice of the exact time, and the favoured streets were all bustle, with a row of men, women, and children on each side of the channel, anxiously and joyfully awaiting, with mops, brooms and pails, the arrival of the cleansing flood, whose first appearance was announced by a loud continuous shout: all below was anxious expectation — all above a most amusing scene of bustling animation. Some people were throwing the water up against their houses and windows; some raking the garbage into the kennel; some washing their pigs; some sweeping the pavement; youngsters throwing water over their companions or pushing them into the wide-spread torrent. Meanwhile a constant Babel-like uproar, mixed with the barking of dogs and the grunting of pigs was heard both above and below till the waters, after about half an hour, had become exhausted."

Leighton: As connected with the supply of water you will also remember that Mr. Roberts speaks of the supply of water brought in pipes to a receptacle in Townhead Street, from which it was the business of a number of men to take it in casks, fixed on the body of a wheelbarrow, holding about fifty gallons, to all parts of the town to sell. "Water Isaac" was a well-known member of this band of barrel men. Mr. Roberts mentions too a large water reservoir belonging to Mr. Matthewman, over Mr. Winter's candlestick factory — subsequently Mr. Bardwell's auction room — for supplying the town with Crookes Moor water.

Wragg: On the site of the houses where the Fire brigade now reside, in Balm Green, there used to be some very old houses, bearing the date of erection as in the seventeenth century. In 1671, there were the following public wells: Burnt tree well, Water Lane well, Workhouse well (the "pump," in Westbar, is no doubt its modern representative), Webster well, and Flint well. There were also the troughs in Water Lane.

Leonard: We have come across other sources of water supply in the course of our rambles — Bower spring, and the spring in Bailey's yard, Broomhall spring, and the rest. It is not so very many years since some of these were still used. The Mercury, of January 27, 1827, records that "A cast iron pump has been recently placed at the bottom of Sheffield Moor, chiefly through the exertions of the Overseers of Ecclesall Bierlow. This pump will be a great accommodation to that part of the town, they having had to procure their supply of water from an open well, which was often subject to nuisance. A reservoir has been made connected with the pump, capable of containing about 10,000 gallons, which will afford a supply for the summer months. At the head of the subscription list we see the name of Earl Fitzwilliam for £20, and that of Rowland Hodgson, Esq., for £5."

 

[Ponytail]

Sheffield Water Works Company offices, corner of Holly Street (right) and Division Street, later became Transport Offices (known as Cambridge House) showing construction of NUM HQ extension. 28th May 1987.

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Cambridge House, former Transport Department Offices (originally Sheffield Waterworks Offices), Division Street. Showing all of the seven carved heads of mythical sea and water gods on the front of the building. 1983.s44648

Designed by Flockton & Abbott, Palazzo style. 

Carved stone inscription on Sheffield Water Works Company offices. s39263

 

Carved stone inscription for Sheffield Water Works Company offices. In use at the time as the NUM HQ with renovation and extension work being done to the building. September 1987. s39254

Showing two of the seven carved heads of mythical sea and water gods on the front of the building. 1983. s44646

Carved Stonework on Sheffield Water Works Company offices. 

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View from Backfields of (left) Carver Lane and (centre) corner of (left) Division Street and (centre) Holly Street. 1883.s44645

 

View of Cambridge House, former Transport Department Offices (originally Sheffield Waterworks Offices), corner of (left) Division Street and (centre) Holly Street. 1983. s44644

 

[Lemmy117]

Later became Sheffield Council City Engineers department, I started my first job there in October 1973. I stayed there until 1979 whne  I moved to  SYCC in Barnsley.