THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF DERWENT DIVISION

(by John King - written Jan 2010)

Prior to 1974 the various water functions were administered by many disparate bodies and local authorities. Water supply and distribution activities were generally the responsibility of localised water boards; sewerage and sewage disposal functions were usually under local authority jurisdiction with river management and land drainage being controlled by river authorities.

The Water Act of 1973 reorganised the water industry (except for existing private water companies) in England and Wales and established 10 regional water authorities (from 1 April 1974) with their areas defined by river catchments. Severn Trent became the second largest water authority with a catchment area stretching from the Bristol Channel to the Humber estuary. Severn Trent’s head office was established at Abelson House in Birmingham and the region was divided into twenty eight single purpose divisions, namely:- 16 water supply divisions (formerly water boards), 2 rivers divisions (formerly river authorities), and 10 new water reclamation divisions to be responsible for the sewerage and sewage disposal functions transferred from local authorities. These single purpose divisions had only been in operation for some six months when it was decided that the structure would be rationalized by reducing their number to eight multi-functional divisions. Hence Derwent Division was created on 1 April 1975 by the amalgamation of the South Derbyshire, North Derbyshire, and Derwent Valley Water Supply Divisions; the Derwent Water Reclamation Division; and the Derwent/Dove catchments of the Trent River Division.

John Brown was appointed as Divisional Manager of Derwent Division and the head office was established at the former South Derbyshire Water Supply Division’s offices at Raynesway, Derby. Reporting to John were the departmental heads comprising Paul Medley-Divisional Engineer, John Banham - Divisional Controller of Operations, Colin Bright-Divisional Finance and Administration Officer, John Jepson-Divisional Scientist and John King-Divisional Personnel Services Officer. The total number of non manual, manual and craft employees at the outset was about 1050.
The individuals in each department reporting to the relevant officer named above were:-

Engineering

Gordon Jones - Assistant Divisional Engineer (Projects)
Peter Davey - ADE (Planning and Co-ordination)
Peter Smith - ADE (Maintenance)

A few years later Gordon left the Division to take up an operational post with the Welsh Water Authority and he was replaced by Geoff Shaw. Peter Davey left to become Project Manager for the Carsington reservoir scheme and Ken Valentine was appointed to the vacancy.

Operations

George Greene - Assistant Divisional Operations Controller (Reclamation)
Ken Rodwell - ADOC (Supply)
Bill Webley - ADOC (Distribution)
Peter Darby - ADOC (Rivers and General)

George retired at the end of that year and Terry Tricker replaced him.

Staff at the next reporting level in Operations were:-

Reclamation ---------- Terry Tricker (to be replaced by Alf Bradford) and Don Yates
Supply ---------- Bob Porter and Brian Bowker
Distribution ---------- John West and Peter Shaw
Rivers ---------- Neville Cooper and David Eaton who was in charge of Technical Services

Finance and Administration

David Vasey - Assistant Divisional Finance Officer (Accounting)
Brian Williamson - ADFO (Exchequer)
Duncan Corden - Assistant Divisional Administration Officer

Sadly, Duncan died a few months later and Alwyn Smith was appointed to the post.

Scientific Services

Paul Smith - Assistant Divisional Scientist (South)
Joan Duggan - ADS (North) based at Matlock
Keith Selby - Principal Pollution Control Officer

Personnel Services

Jeff Richardson - Principal Management Services Officer
Ken Hooley - Principal Personnel Officer
Alan Sherratt - Safety and Security Officer

Salary scales and terms and conditions of employment were determined predominantly at national level and to a lesser extent at regional level through joint consultative bodies made up of employer and employee representatives. New salary and hourly pay scales for the water industry were introduced at an early date in order to rationalize and unify the differing systems that prevailed for employees who had been transferred to Severn Trent at the outset.
Derwent Division faced a number of operational challenges in the early years and in particular the droughts of 1975 and 1976 which reduced the water level of Ladybower reservoir to expose some of the remains of the previously submerged Derwent village. In early 1977 heavy rain brought about flooding problems on sections of the river Derwent. In January 1983 the first and only national water strike by manual and craft employees began after the employers rejected demands for a 15% pay rise to bring about parity with gas and electricity workers. The unions undertook to provide cover for emergencies but the expectation was that the duration of the strike would be short and swift. Nevertheless it continued for some six weeks before a settlement was reached and work resumed.

In 1982 there was a change of Divisional Manager as John Brown decided to follow his former Middlesbrough school colleague, Brian Clough, eastwards to Nottingham to become Divisional Manager of the larger Lower Trent Division. Alan Harker, who was Divisional Manager at Avon Division, moved to Derwent to replace him.

During the late 1970s the process of transferring some non-operational functions to region began with the creation of a centralised billing unit at Aqua House in Birmingham although Raynesway was maintained as a satellite unit for some time. In subsequent years other functions were transferred progressively including Salaries and Wages, Laboratories, Computing, Purchasing and Accounting. Civil Engineering was rationalized whereby the Derwent and Upper Trent units were combined under Paul Medley to form one of four outposted units responsible to region.

The divisional management structure was also amended in the early 80s whereby John Banham’s post became Assistant Divisional Manager (Operations) and Colin Bright’s post became Assistant Divisional Manager (Services). Following the retirements of John and Colin, John Jepson became ADM(Ops) and Peter Dolan ADM(Services). Peter subsequently transferred to region and David Vasey became ADM(Services). Eddie Powell was appointed as Divisional Engineer to succeed Paul Medley and Bryan Chapman replaced John Jepson as Divisional Scientist.

In 1986 the process of transferring operational functions from divisions to a more localised and separate district system began with the Severn Trent region being split into some fifteen districts each headed by a District Manager. The remaining support activities continued at divisional level with the number of divisions reduced from eight to four. Hence Derwent was combined with Upper Trent to form the new Northern Division from 1 April 1987.

JK/01/10

OFFICES AND DEPOTS OF DERWENT DIVISION (compiled by John Simpson - Jan 2010)

(written by John Simpson with help from Russ Boyack, Melvyn Colclough, John Nation, John King, Jeff Richardson and Brian Bowker)

Was formed in 1961 from the various former Urban and Rural District Water Departments in Southern Derbyshire. (Ref. South Derbyshire Water Board Bill House of Commons debates, 8 April 1959). SDWB ceased to exist when it's functions were taken over by Severn Trent Water Authority on the 1st April 1974.

The South Derbyshire Water Board was founded on April 1st 1961 with the transfer of Ilkeston & Heanor WB and 13 other constituent authorities. (water departments of local Councils - some listed below:

Water Sources and Treatment Works

Offices and Depots

Raynesway Offices and Depot (Depot completed first)
On completion of Raynesway offices in 196? Tenant Street closed and most of the above staff transfered to Raynesway. Listed below is staff that started SDWB at Raynesway:

Green Lane, Derby Offices - Work Study & Safety:
(Prior to move to Raynesway i.e. September 1968 to January 1971)

Matlock Office (in Town Hall) and depot was at Bank Road Matlock - Offices later transfered to site cabins at Homesford Supply Works in 1962 then moved to Ripley c.1969

Working in the Distribution Department at Ilkeston in the late 60's

Compared to today the big difference was the lack of technology and the smog that filled every office, because everyone besides Colin Kitchen and myself smoked. The water mains records were kept on paper Ordnance Survey sheets that were hung by cardboard strips in a 4 holed vertical filing cabinet. These strips would often tear and need replacing. Water mains were shown in red ink. A key plan on the wall located the map required using a simple alpha numeric grid system - i.e. L6 was the Sandiacre map.

Sometimes we needed to refer to the old records that had been kept by the Council Water Departments. These were shown on County Series Ordnance survey Sheets kept in plan drawers.

We didn't have photocopiers then so plans showing proposed mains alterations and extensions where drawn by hand onto tracing paper. This was held in place over the map or drawing being copied by drafting tape. The drawing pens where Graphos and was like a fountain pen with a nib. These were later replaced with Rotring drawing pens which where similar to the Graphos, but the ink flowed down a thin tube the diameter of which determined the thickness of the line. There were different pens for each line thickness. A wire in the tube was supposed to keep the ink flowing, but they often clogged up with dried ink, if left unused with the cap left off. Text was usually hand printed - or you used stencils. A laborious process and mistakes had to be scratched out using a blade. Before the Rotring pens arrived the stenciling was done using a Uno pen. This had an open reservoir for ink and tube feeding ink to the paper. Much like the Rotring pen but completely open so it was essential not to spill the ink from the reservoir. To get the ink to flow down the tube a spring loaded wire was pressed. To produce paper copies off the finished plan, the tracing paper was placed on top of light sensitive yellow coated paper which was exposed to ultraviolet light in a semi dry copying machine. Trial and error determined the exposure time - after which the printing paper was put through rollers that ran on a tank of liquid that fixed the paper so that the unexposed parts shielded behind the ink turned from yellow to black. A messy and slow process and doing a set of plans to send off to other utilities could take a couple of hours if the grunge had to be cleaned off the tank first.

Calculations for estimating costs for mains extensions and diversions were done without calculators. They hadn't been invented then! It was either mental arithmetic or you used your fingers to count. I dreaded the fortnight that Colin went on holiday, because I had to do his job - calculating the wages from the clock cards. It wasn't complicated, but I wasn't used to calculating out overtime hours by time and a quarter or half etc.

In the early days before Works Study came about the mainlaying gangs would consist of 6 or 7 men who would hand dig the roads with pick axes and shovels. Later - with advent of work study and the bonus scheme it would often only by one or two men and a digger (JCB) driver. I remember visiting the gangs in the early days and seeing men huddled in a little hut by the road side drinking tea with milk added to the tea pot. Each gang took coal with them to burn on a brazier - used for warmth in the winter and mashing. Gas bottles and rings replaced the braziers.

One of my jobs was to measure up and record the positions of new main laying. This was done using a tape measure and brick if I didn't have the luxury of a helper - usually a mainlayer or ganger not fit enough to dig the roads. By the way the brick was to hold the beginning of the tape. Later measuring wheels became available and were well worth riding the jibes you got about it not having a saddle!

Working at The Matlock Office and Homesford Office of SDWB (1961 - 1968)

SDWB started to function in April 1961 and I joined it in August of that year at Matlock as an engineering learner. I left to seek my fortune as a Drainage Engineer in January 1968 and I think Mick Trayner took my post.

Three of us joined that August Don Sisson,Tony Spencer and myself. Tony left to work for Shands but I think he still lives in the Wirksworth area. I think Don worked at Ilkeston and Tony at Tennent Street.

In the office at Matlock in the Town Hall, were Stan Stewart District Engineer, Maurice Buck Technical Assistant, Jack Holmes Plumbing Inspector, Marion White Secretary and Admin. and myself.

The depot was in the old tram shed at the top of Bank Road. We communicated between the two by means of a wind up telephone.

The office in Matlock closed in 1962 and we all moved to Homesford in wooden site cabins. Homesford was the site of the Ilkeston and Heanor Water Board depot which took its bulk supply from the MeerbrookSough.This move brought Jim Smith and his wife Murial into the office. Also Maurice Dickson and Roy?Webb as plumbing Inspectors.Also a new technical assistant Graham Jackson joined the office who was followed by Colin Everett when Graham retured to Ewart Chainbelt in Derby. Colin left to return to his native Slough but rejoined STW Ltd as a drainage inspector in the 1990's. Sadly, he is no longer with us.

Homesford was being rebuilt at this time. We were in these offices during the winter of 1962/3. These offices were closed and moved to Ripley sometime about 1969/70. The area administered by this office comprised the Urban District Council's of Matlock, Alfreton, Ripley, Heanor, Belper and Belper Rural District Council.

In the Matlock area the main supplies where spring sources (about 8 - I think?) which required the completion of the dreaded 'Spring Book' every week.The remainder gained their supplies from either the ex.Ilkeston and Heanor Water Board bulk supply mains or the Derwent Valley Aquaducts. Alfreton had its own Bulk reservoirs at Lindway which it backed up with a bulk supply from the DV aquaducts.

I returned to STWA in August 1980.

Further notes from Russ Boyack about the Ripley and Heanor Area and Homesford Works:

There were three depots in the beginning. Matlock, Norman Road Ripley and Hands Road Heanor. Ripley depot had a brick water tower and a house where Herbert Lees lived. Ripley depot was run by Herbert Lees and Heanor depot by Charlie Bennett. All three were eventually consolidated at Ripley. Not sure about the wooden offices at Homesford being moved to Ripley.

Bob Poundall worked at Heanor as a waste inspector and George Jackson at Ripley also as a waste inspector.

There was also a depot at Ashbourne run at one time by Denzel Phillips but I don't know much about it.

The water from the Meer Brook sough at Homesford was orginally softened by the addition of lime. The lime mixed with the lime already in suspension in the water and settled out. The settled lime was then passed through a rotary kiln to dry it. It was then bagged and and sold to the cosmetic and toothpaste industry.The water was then pumped into the twin transmission lines to supply to a reservior at Chadwick Nick. It then flowed by gravity to reservoirs at Hardy Barn, Marlpool.

The original works circa 1901 at Homesford were designed by and the process patented by Jim Smith's father who was the original Engineer and Manager of the Ilkeston and Heanor Water Board. The only other Enginer of the Ilkeston and Heanor Water Board that I know of was a Mr. Boothman who retired about 1963. Mr Smith and Mr Boothman lived in the brick house on the works. The other part of the house was occupied by Fred Simpson who was the works superintendent.

The Opening of Homesford Works on 7th July 1970

The formation of The Severn Trent Water Authority.

With the formation of Severn Trent: in 1974, each Water Board became a single function Severn-Trent Division e.g. SDWB became South Derbyshire Water Supply Division under the then existing management.

It didn't become Derwent Division until 1975, when the 3* Derbyshire water supply divisions, **Derby reclamation division, and the Derbyshire area of the Trent River Authority merged to form Derwent Division with John Brown as Manager and some senior managers from North Derbyshire.

* North Derbyshire Water Board, South Derbyshire Water Board and Derwent Valley Water Board.
** Offices at Vernon Street, Derby

Invaders from the North

When Severn Trent Water Authority was created Raynesway became it's Derwent Divisonal HQ. However all the top jobs went to the ex. North Derbyshire Staff.

st-reunited - History Page

(Severn Trent Reunited)

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