William Warden

William Warden, a plumber and glazier, of Hessle solved the problem of supplying Hull’s water from Springhead.

He believed that the Springhead site could yield a sufficient supply if bore holes were sunk into the chalk. In January 1858 he sent a letter to Alderman J W Mayfield on the topic. Three months later he made the corporation an offer to extract five million gallons of water a day for a fee of £500 (nothing if he failed).

Two bores were sunk and in 1860 a test revealed that four and a quarter million gallons per day were being extracted.

By 1865 six and a half million gallons a day were being taken more than justifying Warden’s claims.

Warden received scant recognition for his services despite the value of his work in terms of public health and a fresh water supply for the town of Kingston upon Hull.