In the 1900s, Reading became the envy of Europe - all because of the town's clean drinking water. 

After setting up Terry's Reading Walkabouts tours eight years ago, I have learnt some fascinating things about our town.

It has given me a wonderful retirement career, I have done many new things, making new friends and links to new organisations. Jo Alexander-Jones is one, and she has given me this information to share with you.

Reading’s drinking water has a fascinating history that few think about. There is more than I could possibly cover in one article but I want to begin with Fobney Pumping Station. Why Fobney? Well, the area was once owned by a Dutchman named Vobens which was anglicised to Fobens’ Eye or Fobney.

In 1570, Queen Elizabeth I appointed Commissioners to investigate the water supply in Reading when the Holy Brook was our main water source.

As time passed Reading grew and St Giles's Mill, on the River Kennet, where the Oracle Shopping Centre now stands, began supplying the town’s water.

By late 1800s, the population was growing rapidly as was the demand for a reliable clean water and on 11th April 1878 a new pumping station was opened next to the Kennet coasting £15,000 (£1.5 million today).

Alexander Walker and his son Leslie, who managed the site were nationally respected civil engineers. Both passionate, they kept a scrap book of newspaper cuttings providing valuable insights into running Reading’s waterworks. They lived next to Bath Road Reservoir, which they also managed. More can be viewed at the Berkshire Records Office.

The initial water-powered turbines could lift 4 million gallons (18 million litres) of the Kennet’s water a day, and in 1890s these were supplemented with steam engines giving an additional 3 million gallons a day to provide for a population now at around 59,000.

Fobney’s location had issues and Leslie records they rarely reached capacity due to the challenges of ice and flooding in winter and low river levels in summer. In early 1900s a huge flood engulfed the buildings.

Thankfully, an army of people helped keep the turbines operating, although residents were asked not to keep distracting them with offers of tea and biscuits!

Fobney process involved passing the water through filter beds of ‘coke, clinker and gravel’, then through Polarite, a magnetic oxide of Iron and finally through sand; a process widely known as the ‘Reading System’, effectively removed about 98% of the microorganisms present.

Also ‘cleaned’ water six times faster than traditional filtration meaning Reading became famous throughout Europe for its abundance, purity, and cheapness of clean water.

The clean water was sent to Bath Road and Tilehurst Reservoirs for gravity distribution to lower parts of the town through cast iron pipework.

Fobney was later converted from steam to electric and remained in operation until the 1980s.

Original site has remained empty since then, but Thames Water has future plans. The current Fobney waterworks opened in 1981 and produces clean water for over 300,000 people each day.