Headington Hill: Headington Reservoir
St Clement’s suffered seriously from in the Oxford cholera outbreak of 1832, and G. V. Cox in his Recollections of Oxford records that in June 1833:
a small subscription was begun, for bringing down a pure supply of water from a spring on Headington-hill (then running to waste), to supply St. Clement’s with the pure element; the want of which had (it was reasonably supposed) contributed to the recent spread of cholera in that neighbourhood. N.B. Each of the public pumps in the streets of St. Clement’s has ever since been supplied from that spring.
It was not until the Oxford Waterworks Act of 1875, however, that land at the top of Headington Hill was purchased for a reservoir to supply St Clement’s and East Oxford with piped water.
Not everyone thought that the money was well spent: Jackson's Oxford Journal for 16 September 1882 reports that at a public meeting at Gloucester Green former mayor John Towle (85), sitting on his white pony,
declared, amidst great laughter, that the ratepayers of Oxford were plundered more than any other people in the kingdom, and it was their duty to alter such a state of things. Speaking of the reservoir, erected by the Corporation on Headington Hill, he termed it a "fountain," which had caused a large amount of money to no purpose, and said he would not sleep in St. Clement's for fear it should burst, for all that the property in the neighbourhood was worth.
Headington itself had to wait even longer for piped water: it was not until the early twentieth century that water was brought down from Shotover to Headington. Hence the 1899 map of Headington shows many houses with a well (marked W) or pump (marked P).
The schedule of council property for 1906 lists the following:
At Headington, Covered Storage Reservoir, holding 1,250,000 Gallons, Dwelling House, Garden and Land, and small Pumping House containing pair of Gas Engines for pumping water to Headington and Shotover Hill, total area, 3a. 1r. 3p.
Shotover Hill, High level covered Reservoir for the Headington supply, with gauge hut, mains, and valves, and land surrounding same planted with trees, the whole occupying an area of 1a. 2r. 13p., together with a right of way to the above through the rick yard of Mr. G. Taylor, and the meadow adjoining same, and an easement for pipe lines through lands belonging to Mr. G. Taylor and Mr. Joseph Haynes.