Company History
Portsmouth Water has been an independent water company proudly supplying water to Portsmouth for over 150 years.
The Company today serves large towns and cities such as Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Chichester and Bognor Regis, as well as rural areas of South East Hampshire and West Sussex. Its origins date back to 1857 when the Borough of Portsmouth Waterworks Company was formed to supply water to Portsmouth, then a city with a population of little more than 70,000. At that time supplies were intermittent and not all households were connected to the mains supply.
The development of water supplies to Portsmouth and the surrounding area over the next 100 years is set out in a separate section below.
As the Company prospered after the Second World War, so it embarked on a period of expansion. The year 1955 saw a doubling of the statutory supply area through an amalgamation with Gosport Waterworks Company followed shortly afterwards by the acquisition of the Fareham UDC Water Undertaking. The further acquisition of four undertakings in West Sussex was completed in 1963, again doubling the Company's supply area and at that time making it one of the largest water supply companies in the country. The origins of each of the predecessor organisations is set out in our 'family tree', click here to view.
The privatisation of much of the water industry in 1989 prompted a period of major investment and since then, the Company has implemented a continuous programme of refurbishment and replacement of its treatment works, pumping stations and water mains.
Throughout the long history of Portsmouth Water, the commitment of the Company and its staff has always remained unchanged.
"We aim to supply drinking water of the highest quality, combining high levels of customer service with excellent value for money."
The following pages highlight some of the key developments in the history of the Company which have been reproduced from the Company's official history book – "Portsmouth Water 1857 to 2007 – 150 Years of Service". The book was published in 2007 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Company's incorporation and copies are available priced at £15 each. For details of how to purchase a copy click here.
