The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Waters of the Tyne
No need to wonder any more how water from the River Tyne ends up coming out of the taps of houses in Newcastle, for all is revealed here; and why it is drinkable.
From the collection of:
Overview
A detailed look at how water made its way to the houses and businesses of Tyneside in 1978, beginning with a fascinating overview of the history of water supply in the area. It also has historical interest in showing the development of a scheme, taking water from the River Tyne, using the revolutionary Palin method of measuring chlorine in water, now in use worldwide, and the new Palin Laboratories in operation.
This film was made by Newcastle film producers Turners, which started making industrial and educational films after the war through to 1995. The Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company was established in 1845, but taken over in 1988 by the French company Lyonnaise, and in 1992, with Sunderland & South Shields, became part of North East Water. The chlorination of water was developed by Dr Tom Palin during the Second World War when he pioneered a new method (DPD) for measuring chlorine in water. He went on to work for NGW before joining the Palintest Board in 1977 when the company started the new River Tyne Abstraction Scheme. Hence Palin Laboratories were named in acknowledgement of Palins contributions.
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