Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the town and parish of Brixham, in the county of Devon / by Alfred L. Dickens, Superintending Inspector.

  • Dickens, Alfred L.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the town and parish of Brixham, in the county of Devon / by Alfred L. Dickens, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/67 (page 21)
    It was stilted by Mr. Lakeman in conclusion of this part Brixham. of the evidence,— That the general state of the sewerage ' of the whole of Brixham, both for surface and house drainage, is in a highly imperfect state, and capable of great improvement. This statement was warmly corroborated by the following gentlemen--viz.: The Rev. J. R. Hogg, d the Rev. Mr. Hill, Messrs. Saunders, Calley, Wolston, Browse, Underhay, jun., Webber, Brooking, Charles Cle- ments, Stevens, Cayme, John Martin, Richard Heath, Ni- « cholas Browne, and Kendrick. As regards the Supply of Water, the following is a . portion of the evidence obtained. Mr. Thomas Lakeman states,— The general water supply for the public use in Lower Brix- i ham is—Firstly, from a public pump near the London Inn ; ^ secondly, from the government reservoir ; thirdly, from public • weHs or pumps; and, fourthly, from private sources, such as the ; well and pump usually attached to the best class of houses, and .', from some collected private springs of the witness. He used to ] obtain his supply, as a brewer, from the government reservoir; but for some time, not having been satisfied with the quality of that supply, has now constructed some waterworks for his own fl purposes. From these works he supplies about thirty families, a The supply is derived from collected springs, and is distributed by gravitation. Has also bored for water through the slate rock ; , and at a distance of sixty feet the water now rises within a foot J of the surface. He charges for the water he supplies to private consumers (an unlimited quantity) sixteen shillings per annum. Believes that if he had continued to use the government reservoir water he would have lost his brewery customers. There is a well called Greenswood in Lower Brixham, and ;i there are also four conduits from the government reservoir. -> There are several private pumps supplying the houses to which they are attached. In many instances a number of houses or cottages have only one pump amongst them. The general con- struction of the soft water tanks is of stone or slate slab built in i cement, and they are usually covered. Some of the wells are 7 occasionally contaminated by drains. This is the case with the public pump opposite the London Inn.* Upper Brixham is supplied from several sources. One is called the Town Shoot, or St. Mary's Well; another, Lay-well. Besides these there are several small streams which are used where they are accessible, and also a few private pumps. He has never known the Town Shoot or Lay-well fail, although at the present time both arc unusually low. The Lay-well water is • * This is corroborated by Messrs. Henry Browne, Charles Brooking, Wolston, : wd Kendrick.