Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the parish of Eastwood, and the hamlets of Newthorpe, Moorgreen, and Brinsley, in the parish of Greasley, all in the county of Nottingham / by William Lee, Superintending Inspector.

  • Lee, William, 1774 or 1775-1853.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the parish of Eastwood, and the hamlets of Newthorpe, Moorgreen, and Brinsley, in the parish of Greasley, all in the county of Nottingham / by William Lee, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    surface, until it is either absorbed or evaporated, or has found some brook or pond, which, of course, it contaminates. Water Supply.—The great deprivation which many of the inhabitants have to suffer for want of water, the bad quality of much that is used, even for food, and the distances to which water is carried, are stated in detail in the minutes of my inspection. I have met with few places in a worse condition for water than these villages. The Rev. H. Western Plumptre, rector of Eastwood, said it was impossible for the people of Eastwood to be clean. The water was very bad in quality, and deficient in quan- tity. A better supply would be a great mercy to the poor. Henry Sleight, Esq., chairman of the Basford union, resides at Newthorpe, and said that he had no immediate occasion for water, but wished to obtain it for his neighbours who were destitute of it. Mr. Robert Barber said,— I reside in Eastwood, and am an architect and surveyor. I have long been aware that the district to which this inquiry extends is in a most destitute condition, so far as the water supply is concerned. The springs have been generally taken by the coal-mining operations, and the inhabitants of part of Eastwood and the hamlets have been driven to drink water unfit for food. In summer time especially they have had to fetch water from great distances, often nearly half a mile. In December 1851, I was employed on behalf of his Grace the Duke of Newcastle to ascertain if it were possible, at a moderate expense, to supply the inhabitants of New Brinsley with water. I went over the Duke's estate for that purpose, but could not find any springs upon it to be depended upon. The only supply that would be available I found upon Underwood Common, where there are several fine springs of pure water, which I thought might yield a sufficient supply. The springs were unusually low at the time, and when I measured them pro- duced nearly 4,000 gallons per diem. This would allow 40 gal- lons per diem to each of 100 houses, and as there are but about 70 houses in New Brinsley, a tolerable surplus would be left. I took a trial level, and found a fall of 54 feet in a distance of about 2,000 yards to the upper part of the district. The inhabitants of New Brinsley appear very anxious to ob- tain a supply, and expressed their willingness to bear their pro- portion of the expense. With reference also to the supply of Eastwood and the other parts of the district, I have taken an account of certain springs (above the level of the houses) at Ben u v a lee and High Park. I gi \ t you the quantities flowing on the 21st. December 1851, which was a very dry time :—