Exhibition „Underground City. 125 years of Warsaw water supply
125 years ago the first inhabitants of Warsaw could drink fresh and filtered water direct from their taps. The modern design based on experience gained in Hamburg and Frankfurt on Main made the Lindleys heroes of the day.
The construction started in 1883 and only three years later the dream came true. On this occasion the Warsaw Municipal Waterworks Ltd. (MPWiK) have planned two majour events: a special edition of a new photo-album and a photo exposition under the same title.
The presentation of the album took place on 31 May, in the mid of the day, on a beautiful location of Warsaw treasure premises – Old Orangerie in Łazienki Park.
On the same day the photo exhibition was opened for the general public. Set on beautifully renovated drawings as well as old photographs from MPWiK collection are to be admired from 1 June in the so called Open-air Łazienki Gallery along Aleje Ujazdowskie avenue.
On May 22, 2020, in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, Lindley Association commemorates the 120th anniversary of the death of William Lindley, the designer of Warsaw's sewage system and waterworks.
W. Lindley died on May 22, 1900, in his own home at 74 Shooters Hill Road in
London's Blackheath. He was less than 92 years old. The cause of death was
general age-related health problems and heart failure. In the last
moments of his life, he was accompanied by his eldest son, Sir William
Heerlein Lindley, continuator of his father's works, and his sister Julia.
The funeral took place three days later. He was buried at Charlton Cemetery in
London's Greenwich.
The bas-relief depicting William Lindley on the front of the Indirect Ozonation and Activated Carbon Filtration Station at the Filter Station in Warsaw. Author Andrzej Krawczak (2010)
William Lindley Snr visited Warsaw only once, in
June 1876, at the invitation of Governor-General Paweł Kotzebue and the temporary
President of Warsaw, general Sokrates Starynkiewicz. After a few days of
exploration of the city, he agreed to draw up a sewage and water supply project for
Warsaw. The project was published in 1879 when William Lindley retired at the
age of 71.
The contract with the city to run this great municipal investment was signed by his son, William H. Lindley. In 1881-1917 he was the main engineer for the construction of sewage and water supply in our city.