Records of the Acquisition of Private Waterworks

Records of the Town Clerk relating to the Corporation's endeavours to purchase private waterworks companies including: Charlcombe; Circus; Rivers; St Saviours; Freemen's; Richmond Hill; Manvers; Midford; Lyncombe Place; Holloway/Magdalen Hill; Reverend Sillifant's; Purlewent; Prior Park Road and Camden Crescent Waterworks.
The Corporation made numerous attempts to purchase many of the privately owned waterworks in the City, but often found themselves unable to come to agreements with the owners or acquire powers to enable compulsory purchases. This was particularly evident in the 1870s while the Corporation was undertaking a large scheme of works, under the Bath Waterworks Act 1870, to expand their supply.
The Corporation eventually found a solution by turning to a power of lease granted by the Bath Waterworks Act 1846. This power enabled the Corporation to take up leases on the private water works, into which the Corporation, in agreement with the owners, was able to arrange clauses for the purchase of the works at a set price within a set number of years.