Demand
grew and the original Child
gasometer (the prototype for
gas holders
that
were to pop
up
all
over the country) was eventually
outgrown.
In 1906 a new storage
facility was built on land
off Blyth Road and another
gas holder added in 1935.
The firm started marketing
consumer hardware from a new
showroom in Station Road and,
by 1947, Southwold households
possessed 1015 gas cookers
served by 11 miles of gas
pipe.
The
Southwold Gas Light Company
just saw in its centenary
in 1948 before being subsumed
in the newly nationalised
British gas industry.
The
Southwold Water Works Company
Until the late 19th century,
water supplies in Southwold
were a matter of individual
arrangement and were delivered
via domestic wells and pumps.
The public
Town Pump in the Market Place
made by Child's
Iron foundry in 1873,
was our first municipal water
supply. But 13 years later,
an even more ambitious scheme
was devised under the auspices
of The Southwold Water Works
Company.
In 1886,
they built the town's first
water tower on the Common
and, to raise the water up
to the tank from the well
beneath, there was an ingeniously
designed wind-pump sitting
on top. (See picture at top
left) From the tank, water
was piped directly to people's
homes.
The
Southwold Electric Lighting
Board
Southwold had its own electricity
company by the end of the
19th century. The Southwold
Electric Lighting Board also
supplied Reydon and Walberswick.
However, in 1919, the repair
shop was destroyed by fire
and the following year the
company was acquired by Edmundson
of Westminster.
Use
the links below to explore
the history of Southwold’s
other industries.
Brewing
Hosiery
and bedding manufacture
Iron
founding
Milling
Public
Utilities (Gas, water, electricity)
Rope
making
Salt
manufacture
Shops and Trades
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