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Book about William H. Lindley in Baku scheduled for April 2014!

Chingiz Abdullayev and Xadija Abdullayev prepare  a book about the development of the water supply for the ciity of Baku. One of her heroes is William H. Lindley and the Polish engineer Stefan Skrzywan and perhaps more engineers, which can be  traced in Azerbaijani archives. In the autumn comes  to Warsaw with a visit author of the book and his closest associates. Society Lindleiana will gladly guide Azerbaijani guests through the works of the Lindleys in Warsaw and hope show them all interesting them materials. The book is scheduled for April 2014.

William H. Lindley with legendary millionaire H.Z. Tagiyev, sponsor of the water supply system of Baku

For more details about water supply of Baku see our e-publication: How Baku Got Its Water by Ryszard Żelichowski

Monument of Water Tower in Lublin

The construction of a network supplying water Lublin was to the german engineer Adolf Weisblatt. T The Water Tower itself was build in the period 1897-1899 at then Bernardine Square, Freedom Square today. The official opening took place on 1 July 1899.

The tower was built in the fashionable neo-Gothic style somewhat reminiscent of the medieval towers of defense. The Tower was crowned with battlements, while inside there was a tank, which could accommodate up to 150 cubic meters of water pumped by two steam pumps. The tower was made of bricks brought from Volhynia. The network designed by Weisblat consisted of artesian wells and drainage system.

As a result of fighting at the end of the second world  the water tower was completely burnt down and in 1946 the tower was dismantled. Moreover, vanished houses, which stood in its neighborhood.

In 2003, because of changes in Freedom Square decided to mark the water tower - a place where once stood are marked dark cobbles. In 2004, the Municipal Water and Sewage Company decided to put money in a new fountain at Freedom Square. In the middle of the fountain bowl bronze monument was erected - miniature old water tower.

Photo: R. Żelichowski, April 2012

Finnish journalist on Lindleys in Warsaw

12 -14 September 2011 Warsaw visited Finnish free-lancer journalist Katriina Etholén who works on article about the Lindleys in our city. Last year Katriina Etholén published nicely illustrated text"William Lindley Hampurissa" (William Lindley in Hamburg) for monthly "Vesitalous" dealing with water issues. Article of the Finnish journalist is to read on our ‘e-publications’ page.

On Monday 13 September Katriina Etholén visited Water Supply Company. Her guide was Marzena Wojewódzka from the Press Office of the Water Company, who in a very Professional manner presented to the Finnish guest achievements of the Lindleys in Warsaw as well as showed her the modern addition to the old project. Mrs. Ewa Grzymała from the Company Archive prepared sample of c.a. 50 original drawings from Lindley’s office.

Katriina Etholén was very impressed by what she had seen. The biggest impression made on her the slow filters filled with water.

In the afternoon Katriina Etholén visited places known to Lindleys during their assignments in Warsaw, the famous “bench of Lindley”, among others (photo)

We wait impatiently for the fruits of Katriina Etholén’s  work!

100 years ago - William Heerlein Lindley knighted

In the years 1906 – 1908 as a member of the Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways William H. Lindley studied the inland waterways of Germany, France, Belgium and Holland. After four months work in London these studies gave rise to a final report. Along with the next report on the canals and inland navigation of the UK, presented to both Houses of Parliament published two years later, his continental works for the glory of the British Empire were also appreciated*.

In 1911 William H. Lindley received a knighthood from King George V. As Franz Lerner, author of the first short biography of William Heerlein, writes, knighthood is and always be “the highest honour for the British citizen, which in those days was a privilege to only a few engineers working on their own account”.

On this occasion William Heerlein ordered a special jacket, which can be seen on the photograph below, printed in “Illustrated London News” (1911). His name has published since then in The Book of Knights of the British Empire (First time: Dod's Peerage, London 1915, p. 249).

Only for the record one needs to note, that title Sir has been awarded to W.H. Lindley exclusively. We have stated with certain embarrassment, that this fact has not been known to the city authorities of Hamburg. When in June 1993 150 anniversary of the start of water supply and sewage works for this city was celebrated, the highlight event was unveiling of the William Lindley's statue. The sculpture designed and made by Hansjörg Wagner, very well-known artist from Munich, was located on the prestigious Baumwall in Hamburg and was unveiled in presence of members of the family (Alexander Caspar and Margret Schulz) on 27 June 1993. On the front of the monument to their dismay was placed wrong description „Sir William Lindley 1808 – 1900”.

*Report on the Waterways of France, Belgium, Germany and Holland, by W.H. Lindley (Assistant Commissioner for the Foreign Inquiry), London 1909; Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways. Report[s] of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into and to report on the canals and inland navigation of the UK. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Commission of His Majesty. London 1906-1911.  

William Lindley in colour...

In 1879 William Lindley went to a photo atelier and ordered a couple of his photo portraits. He was 71 and just retired from his duties. We do not know what was the purpose of the photo session. The four photographs taken by an unonymous photographer could serve as a family token, or were required by a publisher. The second option seems to be the most probable, taking into consideration very formal poses stroke by William Lindley.  One of the luckily preserved photographs pictures William Lindleya looking at the photographer, the second one pictures his profile. 

The first one is the best known and frequently published (above. For a better quality photo see our Album The Lindleys on this website). 

The second one, the property of City Archive of Hamburg, is little known. Slightly modified and dramatized, black and white photograph was placed on the cover of the book  "William Lindley Konstrukteur der modernen Stad" (Edit. O. Pelc & S. Groetz), a final product of the seminar and exhibition in 2008 in Hamburg dedicated to the 150s birthday of  William Lindley.


Brownish old print looks almost like a colour photograph... William Lindley in colour?