By Nick Corbo-Stewart, Archivist
In 1999, a collection recording the administration of water supply in West Sussex was deposited at WSRO. Covering the years 1833 to 1979, the archive included the records of 23 organisations consisting of private companies, local government bodies and regional authorities. Catalogued by volunteers throughout 2024, these papers were given the catalogue name West Sussex Water (WSW). This collection charts the organisational and industrial journey undertaken to establish a regular, safer water supply to residents and businesses of the county.
The collection includes records of the first private companies, mostly dating from the 19th century, which were established in response to a need to supply water to the expanding population of major urban areas in Sussex, as well as in neighbouring Surrey, Kent and Hampshire. These records show the ad-hoc growth of these companies, and the increasing consumer, technical and infrastructure demands placed upon them. For example, the correspondence between users and employees of the Brighton Water Works Company reflects the consumer pressure exerted on a company for better water supply during the 1860s to 1880s (WSW 6/1/1). Engineering skills and industrial capacity were limited in Sussex, so the Shoreham and District Waterworks Company correspondence notes the requirement to utilise national cooperation in developing links with vibrant, rapidly expanding industrial centres in other parts of Britian (WSW 17/1/1). The letters record discussions with Thornton Iron Works Company of Nottingham to manufacture and supply much needed equipment. As companies became more established, their technical efficiency improved. The ledgers of the Bognor Water Company, covering the period 1912 to 1957, give detailed supply returns for Eastergate pumping station, containing daily records of rainfall, volume of water moved in gallons, and amounts of coal and fuel oil used to do so (WSW 3/1/1-5). However, other demands of the early 20th century made themselves known. The minute books of the Lewes Water Works Company, covering the period 1833 to 1918, note the problems of maintaining supply caused by manpower shortages during the First World War (WSW 10/1/10).
As the 20th century moved on, local government took on some responsibility for supply to areas not catered for by private water companies. By the 1950s, Worthing Corporation’s minutes and reports note cooperation with other borough authorities. Geophysical surveys were carried out in Sompting and Patching by George Stow and Co Limited of Mill St, Slough, Buckinghamshire, for the Borough Water Engineer’s Office (WSW 22/2/3). The results of these surveys prompted the authority to have further correspondence with neighbouring Brighton Corporation Waterworks regarding joint working.
Later in the century, with ever expanding domestic and industrial needs, it was increasingly obvious that national re-organisation between private companies and local authorities was required if services were to be maintained and improved upon in the region. The Water Act of 1945 marked the start of a national water supply policy. By 1974, ten Regional Water Authorities (RWAs) were created. Our records show this amalgamation in process. For example, the North West Sussex Joint Water Board minutes from 1949 to 1963 detail mortgages and transfer of land to ownership of this new organisation (WSW 12/1/1-11). The West Sussex River Board annual reports, running from 1953 to 1964 reflect the diverse inherited responsibilities of such a public body, with priorities spread across land drainage, fisheries, prevention of river pollution, water resources and finances (WSW 21/1/1-11). The records of the Sussex River Authority note the need to bring together these public bodies, with the amalgamation of the East and West Sussex River Boards between 1962 and 1974. Another aspect of this complex merger pattern is reflected in the records of the Mid Sussex Water Company, with correspondence between 1972 and 1974 regarding restructuring of statutory water undertakings and amalgamations of the Mid-Sussex Water Company, Worthing Corporation, Brighton Corporation, Crawley Urban District Council and Horsham Rural District Council assets (WSW 11/1/1).
In 1989, these national and regional RWAs were privatised. They were then floated as private companies on the stock market and are still responsible for water supply in England today. However, the WSW collection partly explains, up to 1979, how we got to this point through growth, nationalisation and amalgamation; it is a fascinating look at a service we all take for granted.
For those wishing to know more, WSRO has a varied and extensive range of catalogued records showcasing a history of the development of water supply and water management in West Sussex, so please do try searching for relevant terms in the following collections:
- Additional Manuscript (AddMss, AM).
- Miscellaneous Print (MP).
- Printed Maps (PM).
- Photograph (PH).
- Borough and County Council catalogues.
- Crawley New Town (CNT).
- Cowdray (and other estate catalogues).
- Duke and Ockendon (DANDO) collection.
- Land Drainage (LD)
- Inland Navigation (IN)
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