Before the 19th century water supply in Timsbury and most rural areas was provided by localised communal wells.
Howard Newth’s family lived in Bloomfield and he described the water suppy as “Your water was shared with others. There were about twenty wells in Bloomfield. When they brought the mains, our tap was outside. All washing up water and bath water was tipped on the garden”.
The Ordnance Survey map below dates from 1886 and shows the location of wells (marked with a W) in the centre of the village.
Up until the 19th century, wells were dug by hand, with people using shovels and other hand held tools to remove dirt, often by the bucketful, to create a well shaft that reached down to the water table. As dirt and debris was cleared, bricks or other materials used to line the interior of the well shaft were put in place. During the 1800s traditional open wells were seen as potential sources of contamination, as they were often located close to cesspits and other sources of pollution. This led to efforts to improve sanitation and the quality of drinking water with the introduction of pumps which sourced water from deeper underground. These are marked P on the map.
This photograph of South Road shows a communal water pump on the left by the boy with the white shirt. This is the P on the map close to the New Inn.
From time to time, water shortages also occurred. A Mr. J. Thatcher was thanked for sending water to the village during droughts in the summers of 1896 and 1899. He was again thanked for his prompt assistance in sending water in December 1901. The Parish Council asked the Rural District Council for a better water supply, but when a scheme was eventually drawn up and accepted by Clutton in 1905, there was much concern at the cost. Council expressed the view that hydrants were not required, and only in 1907 was it agreed to install them.
By the 1920s Clutton Rural District Council had introduced the reservior on The Sleight to provide a more regular supply of water to the village. However this didn’t solve the problemcompletely. 1947 was very hot and the dry summer constituted a real threat to the health of the Timsbury inhabitants. Earlier in the year the Parish Council had protested to Clutton District Council about their inability to provide an efficient water supply to the village and their concern proved well founded when the drought came. The top half of the village was particularly affected and people from there had to obtain water from those in the lower regions. Farmers suffered badly and residents could be seen queuing at wells.
Until the 1950s there existed over a thousand water providers within the United Kingdom, often very localised. The number of providers decreased over time and greater sharing and distribution of water occured.