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Water Supplies To Portsmouth

In the early years of the nineteenth century two companies were established and they competed for the rights to supply the people of the Borough of Portsmouth, as it was then.

The Company of Proprietors of the Portsea Island Waterworks established supplies from a well in White Swan Field whilst the Portsmouth, Portsea and Farlington Waterworks Company established their supplies from the springs on Farlington Marshes.

Competition from two Companies to supply the Borough of Portsmouth

Farlington Pumping Station (completed 1811 and demolished in 1926)

The Formation of a New Company and the Development of Havant Springs for the Supply to Portsmouth

Robert Rawlinson, the Superintending Inspector of the General Board of Health was appointed to report on the water supplies to Portsmouth where only 4,000 of the 10,000 households had a piped supply.  Those supplies themselves were intermittent and of very poor quality.  Rawlinson recommended that the Company should make use of the springs at Havant and Bedhampton and after much public debate eventually a new Company was formed on 13 July 1857.

The new Company immediately sought to improve supplies with the capital invested by new shareholders and in 1860 the Havant Pumping Station was completed.

A Company publicity sheet produced in 1860 and showing Havant Pumping Station

The Old Havant Pumping Station, built in 1860

The Development of Bedhampton Pumping Station

As more and more properties were connected and a constant supply was provided in 1880, the demand for water was rapidly rising and a second pumping station using the Springs at Bedhampton was constructed to augment supplies from Havant.

Wyatt's Spring in the foreground and Bedhampton Pumping Station in the background (1934)

Bedhampton Pumping Station

Bedhampton Pumping Station Site

The Development of the Farlington Filtration Works

Initially the supplies from Havant and Bedhampton were supplied without any form of treatment but on occasions, after heavy rainfall, the spring water became temporarily cloudy, sometimes being described as looking like 'weak coffee'.  Several improvements were instigated including the laying of a 60" overflow for the Hermitage Stream through Bedhampton Works to avoid the risk of flooding.

Laying the 60-inch overflow pipe for the Hermitage Stream (1898)

Unfortunately none of these improvements were successful and following a Parliamentary Act in 1906 the company was obliged to construct a new Filtration Works at Farlington which was completed on 1 January 1910.

New Reservoirs and Slow sand filters under construction, Farlington (1906)

The Slow sand filters in operation (1927)

Sandwashing was a continual process for the staff who manned the works at Farlington.

Sandwashing at Farlington (1935)

A New Pumping Station At Havant

By the early 1920s the Company was almost wholly dependent upon the Bedhampton Pumping Station as the 60 year old beam engines at Havant were inefficient and had only been retained for emergency use.  A new pumping station was constructed at Havant housing three "triple expansion" steam engines and the old pumping station was demolished some years later.

Havant Pumping Station Site Showing Both Old and New Pumping Stations

Havant Pumping Station (1927)

Havant Pumping Station Boilers

Triple Expansion Steam Engines

Preparations for the Second World War

Following the "Great Drought" of 1933/34 the Company had already acquired a number of the Havant Mill Springs within Havant Town to augment supplies and these were connected to the Havant and Bedhampton Springs in preparation for the war.  As a precaution against enemy damage which might result in major interruptions to supplies, the Company also laid a new 36" steel main from Farlington to Portsmouth, avoiding the Portsbridge crossing where all of the other trunk mains serving Portsea Island were located . It also constructed a new diesel pumping station at Bedhampton in case the Havant and Bedhampton Pumping Stations were damaged by air raids; the new pumping station was heavily constructed to withstand an air raid attack. It also used diesel powered pumps in case coal supplies for the steam engines were interrupted.

New 36-inch trunk main being floated into position at Portscreek (1939)

Bedhampton No. 2 Pumping Station

The pumps inside Bedhampton No. 2 Pumping Station

The Impact of the War Itself

Shortly after the outbreak of war, the Company’s works at Havant, Bedhampton and Farlington were placed under military guard, principally as a protection against possible sabotage.

The greatest impact of the war on the Company resulted from air raid activity, most of which occurred in the early months of 1941.  On the night of 10th/11th January, 63 mains were fractured in southern Portsmouth and coupled with the demands of the Fire Service in putting out fires, the average daily demand rose from 13 to 23 million gallons per day.  It took five days for all mains supplies to be restored with emergency supplies in the intervening period having to be provided by means of water carts or standpipes on hydrants.

Filling a water cart from an emergency supply tank at Long's Brewery, Southsea

During the course of the War, the Company promoted a Bill in Parliament for plans to develop a new source at Worlds End after the cessation of hostilities, and to give powers to acquire the remaining Havant Mill Springs for public water supply.

Providing additional water to many of the temporary military transit camps set up in the woods and copses north of Portsmouth in preparation for the D-Day invasion also fell to the Company.

Supplies to Hayling Island

Although the Company had been providing supplies to Hayling Island, through a bulk supply since 1928, it was not until 1950 that the island officially became part of the area of supply.  The Company immediately laid a new 15” main from Bedhampton to Langstone to improve pressures in the south of the island and at the same time a booster unit was installed at the disused Stoke Pumping Station.  The old water tower, a local landmark, was demolished during the course of the improvement works.

Hayling Island Water Tower and Pumping Station (Photo courtesy of Dando Drilling International Ltd)

The Development of a new source at Worlds End

Severe restrictions on funding after the war delayed the commencement of the construction of two new boreholes at Worlds End, near Denmead which had been approved by an Act of Parliament in 1941.  Consent to proceed was not granted until 1949 and so it was 1953 before the Company had it’s first alternative source to the Havant and Bedhampton springs.

Laying the 24-inch steel pumping main from Worlds End to George Reservoir (1952)

Amalgamation with Gosport Waterworks Company

A Government White Paper, issued in 1944,  encouraged water undertakers to amalgamate, and as a result, discussions began with the Gosport Waterworks Company in 1953.  This led to the creation of the Portsmouth and Gosport Water Company on 1 April 1955.

Click here to read about water supplies to Gosport