The people who made the town’s water work

From about the time of Queen Elizabeth I (1558) the County Town’s water was drawn from spring-water from Rocky Hill, and pumped through pipework on low pressure via Maidstone Bridge to the town centre, with public conduits in the area bounded by King Street, Pudding Lane, Gabriels Hill and Week Street.

In June 1860, the Maidstone Water Works Company (MWWC) was established with a statutory duty to supply water within the borough of Maidstone, and in that year the first underground “ball” fire hydrants were installed under the supervision of William Ware, the engineer and manager of the company.

He later became for a short time, the Captain of the Maidstone Volunteer Fire Brigade, establishing a precedent that was to continue over many years with firefighting in Maidstone.

During the 1930s, the company established the post of Fire and Turn Cock Attendant, which persisted until the outbreak of war in 1939.

At this juncture, selected MWWC members were incorporated in the Air Raid Precautions Service and saw action in the County Town isolating and diverting water supplies whenever they were affected by enemy bombing. It was not until the mid-sixties that the company re-established, in association with the Kent Fire Brigade, the post of Fire Hydrant and Valve Inspector, remaining so until the mid-1980s.

In 1971, the MWWC was incorporated into the Mid Kent Water Company, which lasted until the privatisation of the water industry in the mid-1990s.

Until that point the company operations were all in-house, which ensured the staff were fully conversant with the complex underground pipework and control valve system installed and expanded over some 130 years. This enabled them to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water on demand for a discerning public, with few complaints.

In the words of one manager from the era: “No publicity is good publicity.”

Our photograph taken in 1979 shows the former Mid Kent Water Company district office and depot in Water Lane, on the site now occupied by Sainsbury’s supermarket.

The tall building behind it was the Stoneborough Centre, which had newly opened just three years earlier.

The Stoneborough later became the Chequers Centre, then The Mall Chequers and is now The Mall.

The group photo shows some of the waterworks staff.

From left, crane driver Norman Hook, mains layers Ted Durey and John Wood, meter reader Brian Williams, fitter John Allison, stores hand Chris Dunford and senior mains layer Jim Doughty.

We are grateful to KM reader Tony Webb from Newbury Avenue, Maidstone, for supplying this piece.

Mr Webb worked for the water company as a fire hydrant inspector for 23 years from 1965 until 1988.