THE HISTORY OF EAST GRINSTEAD - Online Book
The rise and progress of the town and the history of its institutions & people.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS. 237
views of the principal tradesmen of the town were obtained in 1863 as to the advisability of watering the High Street and part of the London Road, and at a public meeting on May 1st a committee was formed to consider the matter, consisting of the Vicar (the Rev. J. N. Harward), Mr. T. R. Burt, Mr. E. Wilkinson, Mr. T. J. Palmer, Mr. Gr. Shepard, Mr. Meades and Mr. T. Cramp. Proposals were submitted by Mr. J. Tooth, and the Com­mittee placed the work in his hands. Permission was obtained from Lord De la Warr's agent to re-open and examine the well mentioned, and it was found that the sides had fallen in. When the well was dug it was six feet in diameter, but the bottom was now found to have widened in diameter to 14 feet. There was no water in the well. It was decided to remove all stones and rubbish, have the sides made secure and dig the well a few feet deeper, on the chance of striking a fresh inlet of water. The well was accordingly sunk five feet more and an abundant supply of water secured, rising to a height of 12 feet. A brass pump, with a standpipe at the top fitted with two nozzles (one for pails and the other for the water barrow), was then erected, and enclosed on three sides by walls of brick and cement, with an ornamental cast-iron railing. There were two accidents while the work was in progress, Mr. Thomas Criswell being badly injured about the legs and Mr. Simmonds (who is still alive to tell the tale) getting his shoulders hurt. When the well was finished and in proper working order it proved a great boon to the High Street residents, as hitherto they had had to fetch their water ill a barrel fixed on a wooden frame, and drawn by a horse, from a spring situated beyond the Prince of Wales Inn, at Baldwins Hill. For the purpose of street watering the Committee bought a galvanised hand-barrow, capable of holding 100 gallons, and a man named Edward Geer undertook the task at the rate of 6d. per hour. This went on for two summers, but for want of sufficient subscriptions the practice was then dis­continued and the water barrow sold, the sum of one guinea, which it realised, being given to the funds of the Cottage Hospital. The pump, however, continued to be