Water and Sewage

Wells remained the main source of water in the village until the 1920s when the first piped water supply was constructed. Many of the wells still exist although several were filled in during the 1960s.

The fire service in the village was on a voluntary basis until it was transferred to Abingdon about 1926, following the introduction of motorised hand operated fire engines and piped water supplies. The voluntary service used a fire engine that was housed in the Fire Station on the corner of Broadway and Wellshead.

Later the Fire Station was rented by Mr Swanborough to repair bicycles as a business, after the Second World War and before he moved to Didcot to start a taxi business. The Station was then used to house the bier, and as a garage by Lt Col Mortimer who lived opposite. In 1973, the Council allowed the building to be demolished in order to improve the corner.

Whenever water supplies are improved it is necessary, because of the increased water usage, to improve the sewage system. There are still unused privies at the bottom of some gardens in the village. The first sewage beds in the village were on the site of “Elmwater” in Burr Street. The new sewage beds were constructed further down the stream in 1926, and the Council leased the old beds from the R.D.C. and converted them into a swimming pool that was used until the Second World War. Nearer the road was a children’s play area with swings, until the R.D.C. took back the lease in the 1960s. Later the sewage from Chilton was piped down Holloway to the Harwell beds.