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William H. Lindley (1853-1917), at the 100th anniversary

The First Programme of the Polish Radio on July 23, 2017 at 21.00, within the framework of the knowledge contest about Warsaw, will join our celebration of the 100th anniversary of the death of William Heerlein Lindley.

Listeners will be asked two questions about the date of the first water supply to the citizens of Warsaw and location of the monument of our hero. Questions are easy and the answer can easily found on our site.

We encourage you to take part in this competition!

Speech by Bill (William) Lindley, Warsaw, September 2016

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Firstly I would like to say a big thank you to the Warsaw Water Supply Company Ltd - for inviting me (and my wife Pippa) to your splendid country for this special occasion – your 130 anniversary - and for the generous hospitality - we greatly appreciate this.

William (Bill) and his wife Philippa enjoy Warsaw water

William Lindley who was my Great Great Grandfather designed the water supply and sewerage system for Warsaw. This is one of his many European commitments/projects. It was supposed to be the most modern and most effective at responding to the expectation of the Warsaw inhabitants, which he developed and brought into practice in German towns – Hamburg, Elberfeld, Frankfurt on Maine. And it was.

When he signed the contract with Warsaw authorities in 1881 he was 73 and decided to retire and to pass all the duties on his eldest son, William Heerlein....

Read more: Lindleiana.pl/e-library

English text:

 http://www.lindleiana.pl/uploads/files/document_46_se.pdf

Polish text:

http://www.lindleiana.pl/uploads/files/document_45_pl.pdf

Honours for the descendant of the Lindleys in Warsaw

Francis William (Bill) Lindley with his wife Philippa came for a three-day visit to Warsaw (5-8 September). They were invited by the management of the Municipal Water and Sewerage Company Ltd. This year capital of Poland celebrated 130-anniversary of the delivery of filtered water processed in the modern water supply system built according to the design of William and William H.Lindley. In 1936 the management of  PWiK (the Water and Sewerage Company) recognized that the August 3rd,1886, was the starting point of effective work of the Warsaw water network. 130 years later, in 2016, due to a variety of important events (the NATO Summit and World Rally of the Catholic Youth involving visit of the Pope Francis II), the celebrations were postponed till September.

Jubilee Gala took place on the 6th of September in the National Theatre. After introductory speech of the President of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the Mazovia (Voivodship Mazowsze) Marshall Office announced that MPWiK was awarded with medal of “Merited for Mazovia”. The award was handed over to the Chairman of the Management Board of MPWiK Mrs Beata Pacholec and member of the Board of Directors Mr. Grzegorz Wasilewski.

The second point of the evening, for us the most important.  William (Bill) Lindley was awarded an “Honourable Order of Merit of the Municipal Water and Sewerage Company in the capital city of Warsaw”, “In recognition of invaluable contribution of Mr William Lindley and his eldest son, Sir William Heerlein Lindley, to the development of Warsaw water and sewerage system”, with the relevant diploma.

See the photograph below:

130 years ago - the Lindleys’ waterworks in Warsaw deliver first filtered water!

130 anniversary of  the Lindleys’ waterworks in Warsaw

The 3^rd of July, 1886,  was the day to remember. The inhabitants of  Warsaw could enjoy the first filtered water for individual consumption. The water came from the newly built Filter Station in Warsaw, designed and executed by two generations of English civil engineers – William Lindley, the father, and William Heerlein Lindley, the eldest son. Because it was only the technological test it did not have adequate cover by the local press. The Filter Station at Koszykowa Street in Warsaw reached full capacity in the fall of 1886.

Sir William H. Lindley  was the Chief Engineer of waterworks and sewerage system in the years 1881-1917. William Heerlein’s representatives in Warsaw were his two younger brothers - Robert Searles (1881-1888) and Joseph (1888-1905).

In 2016 Municipal Warsaw Water and Sewerage Company celebrates the 130 anniversary of the Lindley waterworks in operation, designed and built under the supervision of two generations of civil engineers from the Lindley family.

Sir William H. Lindley  was the Chief Engineer

110 years ago passed away Joseph Lindley

On April 20, 1906, in Ober Ursel (Oberursel, Germany) passed away Joseph Lindley. He was only forty-seven years old.

As Emil Sokal (Polish engineer and journalist) wrote: “The causes of his premature death are due to his hard work, which initially brought him a nervous disease, and when help of doctors proved inconclusive, when travel and stay in the South [Europe] instead of relief and improvement, made him even more sick, he returned to Frankfurt, where he was treated in a sanatorium for nervous patients, where his busy life ended". He was buried on the cemetery of the Haupt Friedhof in Marburg.

Joseph Lindley left the wife Emily Suermondt and two children – Henry William (son) and Julia Anita (daughter). He had a talent for languages. Spoke and wrote fluently German, French and Russian. Eagerly studied Polish language in order to communicate with workers, as well as to be able to track the publications in the national press. In Warsaw’s works Joseph Lindley was involved for long seventeen years. Since 1888 he was a representative in Warsaw of his older brother William Heerlein Lindley, Chief Engineer of water supply and sewerage. Joseph Lindley spent here his mature youth and the greater part of his professional life. He was more connected with Warsaw then the rest of the Lindleys.

As the Polish author writes in the Universal Illustrated Encyclopedia: "Trough 16 years he was involved in Warsaw in very useful activities. Thanks to his diligence and energy Warsaw could bring to the end so important for the city sewerage works.

Joseph Lindley with his son Henry at the construction site of water tanks