Selsey Water Company

In a location close to the sea and with no easily accessible ground water supplies, the founders of The Selsey Water Company in 1907, who were also Directors of The Petersfield and Selsey Gas Company, brought water into the Selsey area via a bulk supply from the Chichester Corporation.

The terms and conditions of that supply were very strict and one key element was the requirement to construct a water tower in Cross Road, later renamed School Lane.

Selsey Water Tower in 1977 Just Prior To Demolition

In the early years there was much public debate between the Parish Council and the Water Company over the charges levied to consumers and the level of service they received. In 1928 and 1929 there were hosepipe bans and as a result a Selsey Water Act was passed in 1930 requiring the Company to lay additional mains, and to construct a reservoir alongside the water tower.

The Company was run from a very small office in High Street Selsey by Clem (Walter Clement) Rose who also doubled up as the local manager of the Gas Company too.

Clem Rose in the Selsey Gas and Water Company Office (Photo courtesy of Hazel Ousley)

During the 1930s Selsey grew as a seaside resort, but the Company's finances were severely affected by the halting of almost all housing development during the Second World War.

After the war, as development began to gather pace in the 1950s, the Company struggled to maintain supplies especially as it was in financial difficulty too.

With the Southern Gas Board having taken over the responsibilities for the Gas Company in 1949, the joint arrangements for managing the water supply and gas operation came to an end in 1957.

In 1961 the Company started to lay a trunk main from Selsey Ferry to the town to improve supplies but it was unable to complete the work due to insufficient finances and a hosepipe ban had to be imposed in 1963 only months before the Company was transferred to the Portsmouth and Gosport Water Company.