7 minute read
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE
The wharf where Lee & Green established the business in 1881.
Lincolnshire was once the home of many fine suppliers and producers of bottled water. This month we discover the story behind the most prominent one of all; Lee & Green based in Sleaford...
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Words: Rob Davis.
THESE DAYS British consumers are practically drowning in bottled water. The UK market is huge; about 4bn litres of bottled water are sold each year, with consumers spending £1.5bn a year on the stuff.
We think of it as being quite a young and trendy product, consumed in abundance by yuppies in the 1980s with ice & a slice and a filofax. But in fact, the bottled water market is far older than you might think, and Lincolnshire has had its fair share of the action.
Still waters ran deep, for instance, in Sleaford. That’s where Lee & Green was one of Lincolnshire’s most well-established provider of ‘aerated’ waters. In fact, at the peak of its success, Lee & Green was producing its products in five Lincolnshire towns and overseas in America, too.
Mark Reed and Jonathan Smith are two of the most knowledgeable experts when it comes to Lincolnshire’s bottled water heritage. Mark is the author of Lee & Green Aerated Mineral Waters: A Collector’s Guide, the first – perhaps only –book comprehensively detailing the company’s history. Jonathan Smith, meanwhile, is curator of Bourne’s Baldock Mill Heritage Centre, treasurer of Sleaford Museum, former journalist… and a keen gardener.
“A few decades ago now I was in the garden, turning over the soil,” says Jonathan. “My spade chinked against something large and I dug up a fragment of bottle which had the Lee & Green logo on it. My interest was piqued and I did a bit of research on the subject.”
In the years that followed, Jonathan dug up a few more Lee & Green bottles, and began collecting their stoneware. It’s an interest which continues today and Lee & Green bottles are highly collectable, with bottles designated with one to six stars depending on their rarity. >>
Some years later, during the late 1980s ‘benzene in bottled water’ scare, whilst working as a journalist at the Lincolnshire Free Press, Johnathan’s editor commissioned him to write an article about the company.
The success of bottled water in Lincolnshire meant that as many as 30 different businesses were established in the mid-tolate Victorian era providing aerated waters. The temperance movement was ostensibly an American creation although The Band of Hope in Leeds were there slightly earlier, albeit not achieving such recognition.
The movement aimed to save the population – or at least the working class - from the perils of drink, and with cholera prevalent in the 1800s – the last reported case was in 1893 – bottled water was a healthy, clean drink.
Aerated water was created and bottled as much in small grocers’ shops or in bakers’ premises as larger factories. Water – from Sleaford Waterworks or Guildhall Springs in
Quarrington, latterly known by locals as Boiling Wells – was typically filtered through carbon before entering slate-lined tanks.
At Lee & Green, carbonated gas was added and a revolving fan was used to give the water its fizz, and a flavouring room added syrupy flavours (like orange, lemon or potass) or added the ingredients to create the firm’s ginger beer. The firm even bottled Vimto - created in 1908 as both a drink and a medicine - under license.
Bottling was originally in stoneware, with The Lincolnshire & District Bottle Exchange set up to collect and reuse expensive bottles.
Later glass bottles in ‘torpedo’ or codd shapes were used. At its peak the Sleaford factory was bottling 15,000 dozen bottles every single day.
Filling the bottles at 200psi was occasionally hazardous – one employee, a young man called Pepper, in April 1901 suffered cuts when his work literally blew up in his face.
Some bottles were occasionally stolen by children as early cork sealings were replaced by glass marbles… later, crown caps were also used.
Lee & Green was established in 1881 by George Ranyard Lee and Arthur Green who became brothers-in-law upon the marriage of George to Sarah Jane Green… who was just 17 at the time, to George’s 32 years of age.
The company established itself in a new works in 1885 in Sleaford’s Albion Street, with the original factory on what is now the site of the Barge & Bottle pub restaurant adjacent to The NCCD.
It’s believed the company took over a competitor in Spalding, in 1885 and added a Bourne production facility in 1887 then on Skegness’ Wainfleet Road around 1900. Bourne especially carried kudos because of the quality of water in the Eau, and the firm had three premises including ones on the town’s North Road and Abbey Road.
In 1910 the founders both passed away at the same time a Lee & Green factory was established on Boston’s High Street.
At this time the company had also expanded into the US, with a factory in Syracuse, New York. In 1927 and 1930 the company recorded profits of £1,778 and £1,478 (about £78,000 and £70,000) and in April 1934, Spalding’s Soames & Co expressed interest in the purchase of Lee & Green, with shareholders agreeing on a purchase price of £15,000 (three quarters of a million pounds today).
The firm was sold, although Sleaford’s Carre Street premises continued to produce products under the respected brand name.
A purchase of Soames & Co by Stewart Patterson which itself was subject to takeovers and mergers eventually saw the Lee & Green brand die out.
Jonathan has one of – if not the largest collections of Lee & Green bottles and memorabilia, which were displayed in the first full exhibition of Sleaford Museum and now reside in Bourne’s Baldock’s Mill Heritage Centre.
As Pride goes to press both are due to welcome visitors in once again and are highly recommended!
n Many thanks to Jonathan Smith, curator/ treasurer at Sleaford Museum Society and Bourne’s Heritage Centre, and to Mark Reed, author of Lee & Green, A Collector’s Guide.
The ‘promises’ that are not kept when Wills are read...
This month Katherine Marshall delivers the cautionary tale of a daughter whose inheritance fell short following a contested will. Alas, such cases are more common than you’d think, which is why the help of a specialist in wills and probate can prove invaluable...
‘ONE day, all this can be yours…’ It was a father’s promise to his daughter who had given her life to the family farm.
However, her loyalty was not repaid upon her father’s passing. Despite the verbal promise, the Will left her with only a small stake. Cases of contested Wills like this are more common than people think, and I have seen a recent increase. It is likely the pandemic has played its part in this rise in ‘contentious probate,’ buoyed by factors including new social rules and the financial and emotional consequences. A rise in Inheritance Act claims, when someone is left out of a Will and claims against that estate, has also been noted. Meanwhile, the risk coronavirus presents has prompted an understandable jump in demand for the preparation of Wills, Powers of Attorney and ‘interim wills.’ It is the latter that people must be especially mindful of. These are hurriedly prepared to be finalised later. However, if this does not happen, families may be left with inconsistent, hard-to-interpret Wills. Social distancing is also causing complications with regards to will-witnessing, which is critical. Disputing a Will on the grounds of someone’s mental capacity is increasing too. Upon preparation, a solicitor must establish that the Will-maker understands their actions, but social distancing and a lack of face-to-face contact can make that difficult. Again, with personal meetings less likely, the challenge of ‘undue influence’ may be seen more often. This is a claim that a person forces someone into making a Will to benefit themselves. The financial strain some people currently face may be responsible for a rise in claims and this can be a good thing. I have seen people reluctant to pursue genuine claims, due to the shame of doing so. It is comforting for such individuals to understand that court proceedings are a last resort and disputes are often settled through negotiations and mediation.
Katherine Marshall can be contacted on 01522 515015, email katherine.marshall@ wilkinchapman.co.uk or visit wilkinchapman.co.uk.
