News
Easter 2024
On March 22, 2024, Warsaw celebrates World Water Day
170 years ago Robert S. Lindley was born
Katrin Lindley from Cologne
Katrin Lindley from Cologne sends her Christmas wishes
Ta read more click on: czytaj więcej
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.
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The Family on the Lindleystreet in Frankfurt on Main. From l. to r.: Hanna Żelichowska, Karin Deubner, Ma Neubauer, Ursula Caspar, Beatrice Caspar, Alexander Caspara and Eugen Deubner
Day one – 30 August (Thursday)
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From that day on we followed a master plan prepared by Eugen Deubner. We visited HESSENWASSER, MAINOVA and the municipal SEF (Stadtentwässerung, FFM), which supply the water, power and sewage respectively to the population of Frankfurt. Dr. Rödel, historian and retired monument preserver, gave us some information about civil engineering in Frankfurt between 1806 and 1914, as well as interesting information about the biographies of the Lindley’s in Frankfurt. Presentation took place in Goldstein Waterworks, where William and William H. Lindleys worked on the first modern water supply system for Frankfurt.
The same day was to the combined heating and power plant, Heizkraftwerk WEST. Extensive tour was conducted by a passionate man Mr. Joachim Siebenhaar. And there was a lot of history as well. William H. Lindley built his first electric power plant in Frankfurt (1892-1896), with Oskar von Miller.
Day two – 31 August (Friday)
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On all locations we were treated with great esteem and were able once more to realize how important the Lindleys were also for this city.
After the tour we went to the city and met Mr. Volker Harms-Ziegler, an historian from the City Archive, who gave us brief historical tour of Römer and Zeil.
Day three – 1 September (Saturday)
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This day was organized by Ryszard Żelichowski. We went to Evangelical Reformed Church - West (Deutsch Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche) on Freiherr vom Stein Strasse No. 8, (former Church of England) founded by William Heerlein Lindley. It was very disappointing since the church is gone and replaced by a big modern religious center of Evangelical Reformed Church. However, the commemorating stone has been preserved and exposed in front of a new religious center.
Next we went to former Blittersdorffplatz 29. It was another disappointment. The historical place is gone and the square is now called François-Mitterrand-Platz (he became a honorary citizen of Frankfurt a.M. in 1986).
We gave up walking through the Neue Mainzer Strasse (to No. 51, where the Getz family used to live). There was nothing to see either. The number 51 is incorporated into huge new Frankfurter Sparkasse and the street has become mainly a brick-canyon for the mass city traffic.
Later we took tram No. 11 to Lindleystrasse, and it was rewarding. It has been built-up with many decent houses and the East Harbour (Osthafen) has been renovated and decorated with a monument dedicated to the city-mayor Franz Adickes (1890-1912), under whose authority W.H. Lindley worked until 1896.
Departures, 2 September (Sunday)
Afteer the breakfast we went to our own destinations. We have planned next family-reunion for 2014 in England. Full report on the family-reunion you can see : E-library on this page |
The day after it,
March 23, 2024, Warsaw Water Supply Company invites us to a picnic full of
attractions, which will take place on Saturday afternoon in the Multimedia
Fountain Park in Warsaw.
The program includes many attractions, including: Photo booth and photos with William Heerlein Lindley!
Details:
https://www.mpwik.com.pl/view/swietujmy-swiatowy-dzien-wody-razem-na-miejskim-pikniku
William Lindley's second son, Robert (Bob) Searles, was born on January 28,
1854 in Hamburg.His
father had similar hopes for him as for elder brother William Heerlein.He
was convinced that this profession could provide them with good financial
security for the future and allow them to live a prosperous life. Father William Lindley sent him, like his other sons,
to an English school. In 1880, at the age of 16, as wascustomary,
he was employed in the family business.It is
known that he was in Warsaw this year together with William Heerlein, where he
had the best impression of the meeting with President Sokrates Starynkiewicz.
The chance to obtain a contract caused William Heerlein to prepare his younger brother Robert to become his representative in Warsaw.Robert worked on the preliminary design of water and sewage systems together with his father and brother.It was on his shoulders that contacts with President Starynkiewicz and negotiating the terms of employing local specialists rested.
As his future wife, Robert chose Sara Amalia Marie Ladenburg, three years
younger than himself, the daughter of a banker from Frankfurt am Main, coming
from a large family, partly of German and partly French descent.The
wedding took place in Frankfurt on January 10, 1882.
Robert S. Lindley and his wife Marie, 1881
As a representative of the family company, Robert resided in Warsaw in the years 1881–1888. Young couple felt great in this city.“We like the climate here very much.I am pleased to say that Marie is feeling as well as possible.We went out for a visit in the evening and danced waltzes for two hours," Robert wrote to his father about his pregnant wife.Robert and Marie chose the elegant Smolna Street as their new residence.
William Heerlein assigned the English engineer Wood to help Robert."As proof of the technical talent of both these engineers, I can boldly point to the structures they have already partially completed in Warsaw, despite the great difficulties encountered (...) finally, I must draw attention to the fact that both of my assistants have a quality whose importance should berecognized not only by me, but also by people to whom the affairs of Warsaw are no stranger, and this is conscientiousness in the full sense of the word, beyond any doubt (...)" - he justified his choice.In fact, the works began already in 1882. For Robert, a period of real challenge began, launching further tenders, subsequent stages of work and other activities.
On December 7, 1888, Robert finally left Warsaw.First
he went to Hamburg and then to Frankfurt am Main.Ultimately,
he chose the town of Blackheath near London as his new home.About
1897 Robert S. Lindley moved to Godstone Place, Surrey, where he purchased a
house and farm on the outskirts of the village.
Home in Godstone
Robert S. Lindley with Marie and son Edward in the carriage
Wife Amalia Marie Ladenburg died in Godstone on March 10, 1925, July 9 of the same year, at the age of seventy-two years, passed away Robert S. Lindley.
As his grandson Robert Egerton wrote: “he lost the will to continue living, blaming himself and fate for the lack of a means of transport that could have taken her to the nearest hospital and perhaps saved her.The efforts of my mother, who took him with her to Italy to regain balance there, were in vain." Of the five children, four survived: two sons and two daughters. Three of them were born in Warsaw.
Katrin Lindley from Cologne sends her Christmas wishes
Ta read more click on: czytaj więcej
Katrin Lindley, a descendant of Joseph Lindley, graphic designer and author of children's books, whose professional life is connected with Cologne, a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in West Germany, sends us her Christmas wishes: