Winshill Water Tower

In the early 20th century the residents of Winshill complained about the poor water pressure from their taps. One resident, Harry Mills Barrow, took the South Staffordshire Waterworks Company to the High Court, at his own expense, over the matter in 1905. In 1906 the court decided in his favour and compelled the water company to remedy the situation. For his efforts, Barrow was rewarded with a sum of money and an illuminated house sign, that remained in use at an address in Ashby Road until the 1960s. During the First World War local scouts mounted a guard on the tower, primarily as fire wardens, owing to the fear of German invasion or Zeppelin attack. The town would become one of the first…

Winshill Water Tower is one of Burton upon Trent's most prominent buildings, visible on the skyline from far afield, and has been used as a landmark by road and rail travellers for decades. The tower is constructed on an 8 ft thick concrete foundation that is 50 ft square. The exterior is brickwork, largely brown brindle Staffordshire bricks laid in English bond, with details picked out in different coloured bricks. The top of the tower is castellated. Inside the tower, at a height of 80 ft and supported on rolled steel joists atop a brick pier, stood a cast-iron water tank. Water was pumped to this tank to provide the necessary pressure to supply the houses of Winshill. The tank measured…