Records relating to Bath City Council's responsibility for water supply

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Repository	B&NES Record Office
Reference number	BC/7/1
Description	The Corporation's involvement with supplying water to the city dates back to at least the late thirteenth century, when they joined with the Priory in supplying piped water to the Priory and a small number of city streets. There is evidence of serious investment by the Corporation in the maintenance of the water network from at least the sixteenth century. This supply of water was a significant attraction to visitors to the city, even though it was initially limited to the city centre, with other areas dependent on private water supplies. However, from the mid-nineteenth century onwards the Council took advantage of general legislation as well as promoting private Acts of Parliament in order to purchase and lease new supplies of water and install water mains. By the early twentieth century it provided a water supply to the whole of the city. In the mid-1970s Wessex Water, one of ten new regional Water Authorities, took over control of the city water supply. The records are arranged as follows: BC/7/1/1 - Town Clerks general paperwork relating to the provision of water supplies in Bath BC/7/1/2 - Reports relating to Waterworks in the City of Bath BC/7/1/3 - Records of the Bath Waterworks Act 1846 BC/7/1/4 - Records of the Bath Bill 1866 BC/7/1/5 - Records of the Bath Waterworks Act 1870 BC/7/1/6 - Records of the Acquisition of Private Waterworks BC/7/1/7 - Town Clerks Papers relating to the Corporation of Bath's opposition to the West Gloucester Water Bill 1887 BC/7/1/7a - Records of the Opposition to the North East Somerset Water Bill 1887 BC/7/1/8 - Records relating to the construction of the Monkswood Reservoir BC/7/1/9 - Records of the Bath Corporation Water Act 1903 BC/7/1/10 - Copy Deeds and Easements of the Bath City Waterworks BC/7/1/11 - Administrative Registers of the Bath City Waterworks BC/7/1/12 - Waterworks Engineer's Filing BC/7/1/13 - Records of the Bath City Council Waterworks Office BC/7/1/14 - Waterworks Office Filing used by Wessex Water during the transition to Water Authorities BC/7/1/15 - Correspondence files of the Waterworks Committee of the Bath City Council BC/7/1/16 - Correspondence files of the Waterworks and Public Works Committee of the Bath City Council
Date	c.1740-c.1980
Extent	c.114 linear metres
Access status	Open
Level	Section

Town Clerks general paperwork relating to the provision of water supplies in Bath Reports relating to Waterworks in the City of Bath Records of the Bath Waterworks Act 1846 Records of the Bath Bill 1866 Records of the Bath Waterworks Act 1870 Records of the Acquisition of Private Waterworks Town Clerks Papers relating to the Corporation of Bath's opposition to the West Gloucester Water Bill 1887 Records of the Opposition to the North East Somerset Water Bill 1887 Records relating to the construction of the Monkswood Reservoir Records of the Bath Corporation Water Act 1903 Records of the Dispute between Bath Corporation and the Gunning's Estate Records relating to Bath Corporation's purchase of land from Sir Gerald William Henry Codrington Copy Deeds and Easements of the Bath City Waterworks Administrative Registers of the Bath City Waterworks Waterworks Engineer's Filing Records of the Bath City Council Waterworks Office Waterworks Office Filing used by Wessex Water during the transition to Water Authorities Correspondence files of the Waterworks Committee of the Bath City Council Correspondence files of the Waterworks and Public Works Committee of the Bath City Council