Pure and Constant
MWH launches book dedicated to pioneering water and gas engineer Thomas Hawksley.
Environmental engineering company MWH has remembered a hero of the industry, Thomas Hawksley, with the launch of the first dedicated book commemorating his life and legacy.
A copy of the book, titled Pure and Constant: the Life and Legacy of Thomas Hawksley was presented to the great, great great granddaughters of Hawksley, Mrs Mary Peet and Mrs Alison Perry, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, of which Hawksley was President from 1871 to 1873.
A founding forefather of MWH, Thomas Hawksley and his achievements have been celebrated by the company throughout the past year to mark his bicentenary. Pure and Constant is the culmination of those events with contributions from MWH and four Hawksley historians.
In his time Hawksley, who was born in Arnold, Nottingham, achieved national recognition for developing the city the first pressurised clean water supply constantly available at the turn of a tap. This saved countless lives in Nottingham when cholera struck Britain in 1848-9, and its development is one of the reasons the country’s health and prosperity accelerated ahead of many other countries during that and the following decades.
Hawksley also achieved world-fame, receiving Knighthoods and honours from Sweden, Denmark, Brazil and other countries for solving their water distribution and storage problems. Fellow industry peers showed their appreciation when they elected him President of not one but three Institutions – the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Gas Engineers. He was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1878, one of the few engineers to receive this honour.
Several of Hawksley’s pumping stations (in Nottingham, Sunderland and Liverpool for example) have been preserved, and many of his dams and reservoirs are still in use serving cities like Liverpool, Birmingham and Leicester. These are the forerunners of today’s modern water supply systems.
Ken Farrer, Vice Chairman of MWH UK, says: “The compilation of this book has been a fascinating insight into the life and work of a man to whom we all owe so much. Thomas Hawksley was, quite simply, one of the most resourceful and innovative engineers that the world has ever known. In particular, through Pure and Constant, we have been given the opportunity to look back at how Hawksley’s values and vision of engineering and social needs compare with the water and health-associated challenges faced by civilization, and the engineers serving it, today. Certainly Hawksley’s value of ‘building a better world’ continues to be embraced and defended by all at MWH.”
On presentation of the book, Mrs Mary Peet said: “My sister and I are delighted that MWH and these four expert authors have researched and produced this book. Thomas Hawksley has always been a hero in our family but it is good to see his achievements being more widely recognised and celebrated. Engineering seems to run in our blood, with four generations of Hawksleys carrying on the tradition, which has not entirely died out with myself. Having seen an earlier draft of the book I can certainly commend it, and I am looking forward to discovering further details of Thomas Hawksley's extraordinary life and legacy.”
Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the book should contact Davina Bridgeman, MWH, on 01494 557 501 or by email at davina.bridgeman@mwhglobal.com. MWH kindly requests that a donation of Ł10 be made via the company to WaterAid, the charity to which all monies raised from the book will be donated.
