The York Ghost Signs Project

York Waterworks

 

Address: Landing Lane, York, YO26 4RH (behind the RSPCA premises)

 

Description

Bold, white block capital letters spell out ‘The York Waterworks Company’ on a brick wall, creating a striking stencil display.

 

 

History

Cited in the History of the County of York, the York New Waterworks Company was established in 1846 to improve the city’s water supply.

 

1852 – The original site of the ‘New York Waterworks’ by Lendal Bridge, very faintly you can see a sign attached to the stone wall                                 

 

Source: Explore York Archive                                                  Asset ID: 1003469

 

After expansions in 1878, 1886, and 1895, the company rebranded as the York Waterworks Company and relocated its facilities to Clifton.

 

Today, more than 150 years later, the Acomb Landing facility remains critical, supplying York with 23 million litres of fresh drinking water daily.

 

1895 – The Acomb Landings site in Clifton                             Source: York Press

 

It holds the distinction of being Yorkshire Water’s oldest operational treatment plant.

 

York Waterworks now

 

Got thoughts or a story to share about this iconic sign? We’re all ears—drop your comments below and join the conversation!

 

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