Issue 127 – January 2017
DON’T MISS – THIS MONTH
Happy New Year to all our advertisers and readers
COOLING WATERS By Stephen Guy, West Derby Society IT sustains life and refreshes but at one time clean water was a rare commodity, particularly in towns. Rural communities frequently had springs and wells where water was easily obtained. However, the growth of urban areas put clean water at a premium. The Fall Well stood on the fringes of Liverpool near what is now Lime Street. People would queue to draw the sparking water. The well quickly became inadequate for local needs. Later water was carried in big barrels and sold off carts. Beer and other alcoholic beverages were relatively cheap and often preferred to risking the dangers of polluted water. Epidemics spread like wildfire through crowded communities, much of it caused by insanitary conditions including open sewers and cess pits. What had been tolerated for centuries was tackled head on by Victorian reformers and philanthropists. This often went hand-in-hand with the temperance movement which warned of alcohol’s dangers. Liverpool is blessed with beautiful soft water from Wales and elsewhere, thanks largely to Victorian engineers who created efficient reservoirs and pipework. Tuebrook-born Charles Melly, ancestor of jazz singer George Melly, is credited with introducing drinking fountains to Liverpool in the 1850s. He was inspired by fountains
Knotty Ash Hotel. The former bowling green was known as Knotty Ash Gardens where people could take refreshment. I remember a nearby tea garden in the 1950s. Free drinking water was provided from the stone fountain (pictured) which can still be seen alongside the road. Sadly its cooling waters, which once quenched the thirst of many a passer-by, have long since dried up. n Join the West Derby Society at its next meeting 7.30 pm on Wednesday 18 January at Lowlands, 13 Haymans Green, Liverpool L12 7JG.
in Geneva, where he had family connections. Melly fountains follow a pattern featuring polished red stone and date of installation. Others followed his lead and drinking fountains sprang up in many locations. They once played an important role but virtually all those in Liverpool no longer work. They have been replaced for people on the go by bottled water and soft drinks. At one time there were also many cast iron drinking fountains in our parks but these have largely disappeared. East Prescot Road is now a dual carriageway going either side of Knotty Ash Village Hall. Previously it was a single carriageway, an old coach road, with two inns called the Turk’s Head and
Paul Carrack’s not had his Phil of Liverpool yet – interview inside
Four pairs of tickets to be won to Gangs of Victorian Liverpool Catacombs Tours
– see inside
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