History of the Huddersfield Water Supplies
By T. W. Woodhead

CHAPTER III - PUBLIC WELLS, CISTERNS AND WATERING PLACES. PRIVATE SUPPLIES AND LOCAL WATER COMPANIES.

In the Huddersfield Enclosure Act of 1784 a number of wells are indicated as for public use and others as watering places for cattle. In the early survey maps the district is freely marked with wells, troughs and pumps in both highways and pastures. These were the common sources of supply and a few examples only can be given by way of illustration. In the Millstone Grit area, the usual type of well is the "dug out" from a solid block, but in the Coal Measures where the sandstones are often flaggy, it is not uncommon to find wells made of five flags clamped together. Water from the local Measures is frequently hard and is sometimes strongly alkaline or ferruginous, and the water is often credited with curative properties, but water from the Elland Flags yield a good supply of soft water. That from the Millstone Grits is usually soft and of good quality.

It is common to find, especially in the older houses, wells sunk in the cellars from which water is drawn by bucket and rope, and commonly known as draw-wells, or by pumps. The following wells and watering places for cattle are recorded by G.W. Tomlinson in the "History of Huddersfield," published in the Huddersfield Parish Church Magazine of 1886, Article 17 : from the Enclosure Act of 1784 where two awards relate to

PUBLIC WELLS AND WATERING PLACES

1. One well at the north end of Gledholt Bank and on the west side of Gledholt Bank Road.
2. At the east side of Birkby Lane End and adjoining the old enclosure of Thomas Holroyd, gentleman.
3. Upon a common called Ashbrow on the south side of Ashbrow Road, in an allotment made to John Whitacre.
4. On the north side of Sheepridge in an allotment made to Sir John Ramsden.
5. In Sheepridge, in an allotment made to Sir John, lying on the south side of Deighton Road.

The above for public use, but not for watering cattle.

WATERING PLACES

1. Near the bridge over the brook at the east end of Bay Hall Common and the north-west side of the said Birkby Road.
2. Near Cowcliffe, adjoining the north side of Halifax Road ; which two watering places are to remain free.

The award of the commissioners under the Act was made on March 7th, 1789.

A good illustration of the use made of the springs and wells is supplied to me by Mr. T. Netherwood, of Bay Hall, and includes a series from Bay Hall to St. George’s Square:-

Hempyard Well : a little to the east of St. John’s Church, the over-flow of which furnished water for the Bay Hall Dyeworks in Willow Lane. This was the nearest well to Bay Hall.

Collegiate Pond : furnished water for the Bay Hall Chemical Works, occupied in their latter days by Mr. William Marriott.

A further source supplied three reservoirs at Newton Factory.

Bath Street Spring : after serving the Baths, the over-flow was conveyed to a string of water-cress beds in the line of Green Street and then on to a reservoir for the Brick Factory in Fountain Street.

Bradley Spout : This spring was overlapped by the railway (opened in 1848) and a new and convenient place for public use was made in John William Street opposite the George Hotel stables (now the Empire Cinema). The over-flow from the spring was conveyed to a reservoir at Wells Mills, and on to a drinking trough formerly in Northgate. In lowering the road under the railway arch in October, 1937, the tunnel was found which was to get to the arrangements for passing the Bradley Spout water from the original source to the new location in the wall of the railway in John William Street. It was approached by a descent of three steps to the water taps. Later the water was condemned unfit for use and walled up. The site may be located by a difference in masonry, but at present obscured by a hoarding.

James Bottomley in his memoranda of conversations with Joseph Byram of Storthes, Moldgreen, published in "Huddersfield Examiner," May 30th, 1912, says, "For washing water people used to go to the river or to Bradley Spout. I have fetched water in a can on my head from Bradley Spout many a time. There was a man in ‘Hell Square’ called Webster. He had a cart and a barrel. He took the barrel down to Shore and filled it and carted the water to people's houses. He got his living by it. It was beautiful water. I have caught plenty of fish down there. It was at that part called 'The Goit' where the water went under the corn mill. When they filled up the Aspley road, the surveyor came on a flight of steps in the workings….. It was the steps where they had to go down by the side of the river to get the water with their cans."

A Well at the bottom of Meltham Road gets it supply form a pond in the grounds of Woodfield House. Years ago a landslip near Beaumont Park broke the pipe and for a time cut off the supply.

Horse Bank Well : a spa well in the grounds of Messrs. Bentley and Shaw’s Brewery. The water is used by the brewery and the public have right of way to the well.

Jonas Broughton ("Watchword" December, 1931) records having "seen Lockwood spa water hawked in the streets."

The Lockwood Spa Baths, managed by a company, were opened on December 4th, 1827.

A number of water troughs have been installed by animal welfare societies ; one on the Huddersfield – Honley main road has been provided by the R.S.P.C.A. and is supplied with water from the Corporation main free of charge.

Many wells have had their supply cut off either from interference with the source of supply, or condemned as unfit for domestic use. At Damside is a railed off derelict well, and at Close Hill is a roadside well covered by an arch, which has had the supply diverted (See Figure 19 right); now the only flow is or surface water during heavy rains.

In the neighbourhood of Armitage Gardens, Almondbury, several springs issue from the Elland Flags which form the hill side. One of these supplies a horse trough, made of flagstones, where the lane joins Somerset Road.

Across the road is an enclosed well, reached from the footpath by a descent of six steps. Formerly this was an open well, and an attempt was made to cut off the supply, but residents made an effort to preserve it. About 1893 the water was analysed and found to be good. A small trough was added and both were enclosed by flags, and above was placed a notice board, now in parts not legible informing users that

"The Water from This Well was
Analysed on the 25th July,
189? And ---by them
And was Proved to be Pure, Wholesome
To Drink and Moderately Soft."

This well provided an unfailing supply during the severe drought of 1934. The spring arises from the Elland Flags in the bank above and is conveyed by a short pipe to the well.

On the other side of the village, in St. Helen's Gate, may be seen the remains of St. Helen's Well, now walled up ; its position easily recognized by one side of the well and the arch, which now forms parts of the masonry of the wall. Another example of early supplies which are slowly disappearing, to be replaced by safer and more convenient laid-on town supplies.

In some nearby villages pumps are still in use, some within the house to serve one family, others outside to serve tenants of several cottages. Wooden pumps, still in use, may be seen near the Golden Cock Hotel, Farnley Tyas, and between there and Thurstonland, as at Green Side Lane to serve a small group of cottages, and along this road are several roadside troughs, which as we might expect in this Lower Coal Measure Area, are made of flags clamped together, though near Thurstonland Church, is one dug out of solid block of coarser sandstone. Beyond the village are others, from some of which water is piped to houses at Bank End.

Pumps, still in use, occur at Sowood Green and at Stainland. In the latter place, at Kiln Croft is a pump (See Figure 20 below) alongside which is a circular stone pig trough. It was not until 1932 that town's water was laid on here and the tenants supplied their needs from this pump, which they still use.

Figure 20. Pump, Kiln Croft, Stainland

A common method of supply is to collect water form a spring into a cistern at a suitable level and from this, pipe it by gravity to a tap in the house. In some cases a small motor is used to pump the water from a sunken well into a cistern, from which it is piped into the house.

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