Guildford West pipehead and water supply canal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Guildford West pipehead and water supply canal |
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Heritage boundaries
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| Location | Frank Street, Guildford, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Owner | Sydney Water |
| Official name: Pipehead, water supply canal and associated works; Headworks; Industrial Archaeological Site | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 15 November 2002 |
| Part of | Upper Nepean Scheme |
| Reference no. | 1629 |
| Type | Water Supply Canal |
| Category | Utilities - Water |
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The Guildford West pipehead and water supply canal is a special place in Guildford, Australia. It's part of a system that helps bring water to homes. This site includes a pipehead (where pipes start) and a canal that carries water. It's listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register, which means it's an important historical site. The property is owned by Sydney Water, a government agency that manages water. It's also known as the "Headworks" or an "Industrial Archaeological Site" because of its old machinery and history.
Contents
History of Guildford and Water Supply
Early Days of Guildford
Long ago, in 1817, a retired army officer named Samuel North was given land south of Parramatta. He named his property Guildford. Other people also received land grants in the area, like John Thomas Campbell and the Lackey brothers.
By the 1870s, a small community had grown. A school was built, and later a church. In 1876, a railway station opened nearby. This new area became known as Guildford, while the older settlement was called "Old Guildford". Guildford started to become a busy town around 1913, thanks to a new brickworks and building boom.
Sydney's Water Problem
In 1867, Sydney faced a big problem: not enough water. The population was growing, and there were often droughts. A group of experts suggested building the Upper Nepean Scheme to solve this. This plan was approved by an English engineer named W. Clark.
The scheme aimed to bring water from the Nepean River and its smaller rivers (Avon, Cataract, and Cordeaux). The water would travel through a system of tunnels, canals, and aqueducts. This long path was called the Upper Canal. It led water to Prospect Reservoir, a large storage lake. From there, water went through the Lower Canal to the Pipehead Basin.
Building the Pipehead
The Pipehead Basin was a key part of the system. It was the place where the Lower Canal met the large pipes that would carry water to Sydney. These pipes took water to a cleaning facility at Potts Hill Reservoir, and then to other reservoirs in Sydney.
Work on the Upper Nepean Scheme began in 1880. The government bought land for the Pipehead Site in 1881. The Pipehead Basin was designed as a simple brick reservoir with a concrete floor. It had a special screen to stop large debris from getting into the water pipes.
In 1888, the first main pipeline from Pipehead to Potts Hill started working. This pipe was 72 inches (183 cm) wide and made of iron. The Pipehead Site was fenced, and the Basin was finished in 1893. At first, there were no buildings on the site, just the Basin, canal, and pipes.
Expanding the Water System
As Sydney grew, more water was needed. A second main pipeline from Pipehead to Potts Hill was built and started working in 1900. This one was made of steel.
In 1909, a pipe for direct water supply to Ryde was completed. This meant water could go straight to Ryde without first going through Potts Hill. A small building called a valve house was built at Pipehead for this new pipe.
Between 1902 and 1912, the Lower Canal was improved. Its water level was raised, increasing how much water it could carry. Because of this, the Potts Hill cleaning station struggled to keep up. So, new cleaning facilities were built at the Pipehead Site. Three new Pipehead Basins were finished in 1913, 1918, and 1928/29. After this, the Potts Hill cleaning station was taken apart.
Cranes were brought in to help with the cleaning process at Pipehead. These cranes were later changed to run on electricity in 1917. By 1922, there were four cranes working at the site.
A third main pipeline from Pipehead to Potts Hill was finished in 1925. It was made of electrically welded steel pipes. In 1926, these pipes had to be cleaned because they were getting blocked with silt. More water was still needed, so a temporary wooden pipe was built in 1927. A new 72-inch (183 cm) water main was also started in 1931 and finished in 1937.
Growth of the Pipehead Site
The Pipehead Site itself also grew over the years. In 1906, more land was bought, including a cottage. Around 1910, a detailed survey showed two cottages on the site. One was for the caretaker, and the other was the one bought in 1906. This second cottage was later removed in the 1960s to make space for workshops.
A third cottage was built between 1911 and 1913. It was a large house with many rooms. An elevated water tank was also installed in 1913.
The site expanded again in 1928-29 and 1949 with more land purchases. Over the years, many old buildings were replaced with new ones. For example, old workshops and pumping stations were removed, and new ones were built. A new 84-inch (213 cm) steel pipeline from Prospect to Pipehead was completed in 1958.
In the 1970s, more changes happened. Two of the main screen basins were replaced with modern rotary drum screens. An additional supply tunnel was built in 1972 to improve water flow.
In 1991, the decision was made to move the water cleaning operations from Pipehead to Prospect. By 1995, staff were moved, and the cleaning area was officially closed. After this, the site was mainly used for offices.
Even today, water is still piped from Prospect to Pipehead, and then from Pipehead to Ryde, Potts Hill, and Holroyd. Many parts of the original system, like the Lower Canal and the 1929 cleaning chambers, are still in their original form.
Pipehead has been a very important "headworks" (main operational center) for Sydney's water supply since 1888. The Upper Nepean Scheme was the first of its kind in New South Wales. It collected water from the Southern Highlands and brought it to Sydney using canals, aqueducts, and pipelines.
The pipelines from Pipehead to Potts Hill were built between 1888 and 1925. Pipeline No. 1, built in 1888, was the first connection between Pipehead and Potts Hill Reservoir. These pipelines showed off the best technology of their time in Australia. They also show how pipeline construction improved over 37 years. The site is now a very important control center for Sydney's water system.
What You Can See at Pipehead
The Pipehead complex is located off Frank Street in Guildford. It's where the Lower Canal from Prospect Reservoir ends. This complex was once the main office for managing Sydney's bulk water supply. It has many buildings and structures, including:
- Steel sheds for equipment.
- Pumping stations for Holroyd and Ryde.
- A booster station for Potts Hill.
- Offices and administration buildings.
- The old main control center for the water supply system.
- A former house, now used as an office.
The site still has important items from the original Upper Nepean Scheme. The most notable is the Pipe Head Deck, which includes the basin and cleaning chambers. While two of the cleaning chambers have been changed, one (No. 2) is still in its original state. It has timber screens lifted by two traveling cranes.
On the east side of the Pipe Head Deck, three 72-inch (183 cm) pipelines begin. These pipes carry water from Pipehead to Potts Hill. Originally, Pipehead was just a junction between the canal and the pipes, with cleaning done at Potts Hill. The first cleaning chamber at Pipehead was finished in 1913.
On the west side of the Lower Canal, there's a concrete inlet. This was for a 44-inch (112 cm) wooden pipe built in 1927 to increase water supply. A piece of this wooden pipe and a valve used to be on display here, but they have now been moved to Prospect Reservoir. You can also see a steel "trash rack" and grooves across the Canal. These were used to stop large debris from entering the Basin.
The 72-inch (183 cm) main pipe from the Upper Canal, built in 1937, passes south of the Pipe Head Deck. Near the north-east corner of the Deck is the old Ryde Valve House, built in 1917. A special "Venturi" flow meter from this building is now on display inside the main administration building.
Other important water structures at Pipehead include the 84-inch (213 cm) pipeline from Prospect Reservoir, built between 1954 and 1958. This pipe now goes under the Lower Canal to join a 120-inch (305 cm) main pipe to Potts Hill, which runs in a tunnel completed in 1972.
Why Pipehead is Important
Pipehead is a very important part of the Upper Nepean Scheme. For many years, it was the main operational center for the entire scheme.
The pipelines at Pipehead are significant because they are a key part of Sydney's first reliable water supply. The Upper Nepean Scheme was the first of its kind in New South Wales. It involved collecting water in the Southern Highlands and transporting it to Sydney using canals, aqueducts, and pipelines. Similar schemes existed in Melbourne, but this was a major achievement for NSW.
The scheme was groundbreaking for Australia. It involved collecting water, storing it, and then transporting it over long distances. The three pipelines from Pipehead to Potts Hill, built between 1888 and 1925, are especially important. Pipeline No. 1, from 1888, was the first direct link between Pipehead and Potts Hill Reservoir. This reservoir was crucial for supplying water to Sydney by gravity. Even after more than 100 years, these pipelines are still vital parts of Sydney's water system, thanks to modern booster pumps.
These pipelines also show amazing engineering techniques from the late 19th century. They were considered state-of-the-art technology in Australia at the time. Seeing the three pipelines side by side shows how pipeline construction improved over 37 years:
- Pipeline No. 1 (1888) was made of wrought iron.
- Pipeline No. 2 (1900) was made of mild steel.
- Pipeline No. 3 (1925) was made of electrically welded steel plates.
The name "Pipehead" itself comes from the change from an open canal to the No. 1 pipeline, which adds to its historical importance. Today, the site is arguably the most important control center for Sydney's water supply system.
The pipes are also a visible part of the landscape. The area around the pipelines, including valve houses, flow meters, and pumping stations, is also considered historically important.
The site shows how water supply management changed from the late 1800s to the end of the 1900s. It's a rare industrial site that still has physical evidence of old work practices, especially in water cleaning, boosting, and pumping. Pipehead is unique in its type and size of operation for Sydney and New South Wales. Many surviving parts, like the cleaning deck, are special because they are rare and show important technology and construction methods.
Pipehead, its water supply canal, and related works were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 15 November 2002.
