ABSTRACT
History Water supply to houses did not become usual until the latter part of the Victorian era. Before this water was collected in rainwater butts, from nearby streams or wells, or from public conduits. Some households would have had access to a private water supply from a spring or well. Individual households collected their own water, or purchased it from a delivery cart. The first water pipes were made of wood. When a piped supply of water to
houses was first introduced it was only available to the wealthier classes and even for them it would not be constantly available. The intermittent nature of the supply led to the practice of storing water in cisterns. At first, these cisterns, which were often made of lead, were located outside the house. Later the storage cisterns were moved inside.
