Brede Waterworks

Brede Waterworks is a waterworks at Brede, East Sussex, England. It was built to supply Hastings with drinking water. The waterworks still houses two of the three steam engines that were used to pump water from Brede to reservoirs at Fairlight and Baldslow.

By the 1890s, Hastings Corporation was faced with increasing demand for water in the town. A recommendation was made that a site at Glynde would be suitable. This site had previously been identified in 1875. Another site identified as suitable was at West Dean, East Sussex. However, amateur geologist and councillor Thomas Elworthy recommended a site at Brede, claiming that its proximity to Hastings would make the scheme cheaper. In 1897, Hastings Corporation purchased Church House Farm, Brede and sunk three wells to supply Hastings with water. Two of the wells are 275 feet deep, located north of the River Brede while the third is 200 feet deep and is located south of the river. A pumping station was built to house a steam engine which pumped the water from the wells to a storage reservoir at Fairlight. The waterworks opened in 1904.

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