January 6, 2012, by Sarah Colborne

New water collection descriptions online

The latest stage in the University’s National Cataloguing Grant Scheme Water Records Project is the online release of the descriptions of the new collections of material, which have been created by the Project Archivist. Files from 21 different accessions have been organised into several collections based on their provenance. Work continues on arranging and describing the files in detail, but a number of collection level descriptions are now available to view online, giving users a better idea of the information that these previously inaccessible records contain.

The collections include:

• Records of the Hydrology/Water Resources Section of the Trent River Board/Authority, 1930s-1980s (RH)
• Records of the Severn Trent Water Authority, 1974-1989 (RWA)
• Records of Severn Trent Water, 1989-1996 (RST)
• Records of the Derwent Valley Water Board, 1899-1974 (DVW)
• Research papers of hydrologist H.R. Potter, 1891-1980s (HRP)

Between them these collections contain an abundance of information about the hydrology and hydrogeology of the Trent/Lower Trent Division catchment area, and the development of schemes to provide flood protection and to ensure a safe and consistent supply of water to meet ever increasing demand. The records include administrative files, meteorological and hydrological data, maps and plans, photographs and slides.

Highlights include a series of City of Nottingham Water Department plans, contract drawings and elevations of Wilford Suspension Bridge, dated 1903-1905. Keep checking the blog for further updates on the Project’s progress.

Contract drawing for the construction of Wilford Suspension Bridge, 1905

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