Amlwch, Anglesea, Wales (1953)

image courtesy of David Blackburn

The third of a trio of idustrial water towers is this 100,000 gallon tower, built in 1953 as part of a bromine and dibromoethane production plant. The water tower stored fresh water for process work, from local sources. The tower comprises two concentric cylindrical tanks, of 33ft 6in and 23ft 8in diameter respectively, arranged around the 5ft in diameter service shaft that extends below the tank and provides its sole means of elevation. The plants was owned by “The Associated Ethyl Company Limited”. In 1961 the name changed to “The Associated Octel Company limited”. The factory closed in 2005 and has since been purchased by the American energy company “Canatxx” who have plans to convert it into a LNG terminal for gas brought by tanker from the Middle East. The water tower is located at SH 44502 93547.
Dibromoethane was very effective in preventing the build up of lead inside engines, when Tetraethyl lead is added to petrol to prevent pre-ignition. In the late 1990’s the Amlwch site was taken over by “Great Lakes Chemicals limited”. The site moved away from producing DBE for petrol into producing Bromine and Bromine intermediates for use in a wide range of consumer products such as Pharmaceuticals, Dyes, Flame retardant, agrochemicals and water purification systems.

Ferrers

Meare, Somerset (1953)

You may wonder why I am featuring this rather small, 122,000-gallon water tower. Last month it was reported on this site that Roy Rowe had died, although we are not aware of any direct involvement in any water towers, Mr Rowe pioneered the use of pre-stressed concrete as a building material. Meare was Britain's first pre-stressed concrete water tower, designed by Sandford Fawcett and Partners. It was built for Wells Rural District Council by the Vibrated Concrete Construction Company, in 1953. The tank, 37’ 5” in diameter and 23’ 9” in depth, is elevated by 80’ on eight reinforced concrete columns and a central service shaft. The tower is pre-stressed vertically and horizontally in the tank. The tank floor has eight curved sections radiating from its centre and is always in compression, enabling the floor to be only 6" thick. The roof and walls of the tank being pre-stressed too are also of 6" thick concrete. The tower can be found at O.S. Grid Ref. ST 46056 41175.

Further information on the construction of this tower and photographs of it being built may be found in issue 21 of Concrete Quarterly - "A village water tower of unusual construction". This is free to download in PDF format.