Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

The Great Berkhamsted Waterworks Company was set up in 1864, bringing piped water into the town for the first time. This was an era when public health amenities were being built in towns and cities across the country to eradicate preventable diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

The Berkhamsted Waterworks was situated on the High Street, near to the Town Hall. During extensive redevelopment of the High Street in the 1970s, the waterworks building was demolished and the site is no occupied by W.H Smith and Boots.

The company drew water from deep-bore reservoirs at Kingshill using steam engine-powered pumps. The water tower that stands today on Shootersway was built by the Great Berkhamsted Waterworks Company in 1933.

A former manager of the waterworks is buried in Rectory Lane Cemetery.