The Steam Waterworks, Architecture in the Service of Public Health

Steam waterworks are among the most expressive of Victorian buildings, their architecture intended to reassure.

Steam waterworks are among the most expressive of Victorian buildings, their architecture intended to reassure urbanites of the arrival of clean water and healthy drainage to towns struggling to maintain living conditions in the face of rapid industrialisation and urban growth.

Drawing on the recent book ‘The Architecture of Steam’ published by Historic England, the talk will tell the engaging story of a singular type of building, weaving architectural and social history with industrial and engineering progress to show how waterworks pulled 19th century towns back from the Sanitary Crisis that menaced civilized urban life. It connects architectural fashions, shifting social conditions and engineering inventiveness to show why such care was taken by the communities that commissioned pumping stations and by the men – exclusively engineers not architects - who built them, and what makes us take such pleasure in them today.

British waterworks heritage is a global reference, for the historical significance of the sites themselves but also for the conservation of the many preserved waterworks, often extending to the reanimation of historic steam engines.

James Douet is a historic buildings and exhibitions consultant in Barcelona, specializing in the sites and landscapes created during industrialization. Before moving to Spain he worked with English Heritage reviewing the lists of historic buildings in, among others places, Bristol, the royal dockyards, the estate of the Department of Defence and the holdings of the newly-privatized water industry. The Architecture of Steam was published by Liverpool University Press in 2023.

All attendees will be sent a recording of the talk.

This event helps raise funds for The Victorian Society - the only charity dedicated to fighting for our Victorian and Edwardian heritage. Funds raised from events and memberships allow us to employ expert caseworkers to reply to thousands of planning applications a year in our role as a statutory consultee in the planning system.

We help tackle the climate emergency by campaigning for the sensitive reuse of historic buildings to generate much lower carbon emissions than demolition and rebuild. Join us today and safeguard our unique cultural heritage for future generations! For further information, click here.

Image: Green Lanes