Water and Electricity

There were several requests for water as can be seen from both the Parish Council and the Women's Institute minutes. In 1934 it was agreed to ask the Westmorland RDC for a meeting, as the present spring was deemed unsuitable. Messrs Mark Birch and Sons had tapped the spring at Bowness Beck at Townend in 1895 at a cost of £14.00 to serve as the water supply for the village by pumping the water into buckets. But it was left for another year without explanation.

In 1936 they had another try in the village for a water scheme. It was decided to tap a spring near Birks but it was decided this would not supply the whole village and it was dropped again. Similarly in 1938 it was decided that Nether Hall farm would only supply a portion of the village and it was turned down. Then war broke out and the whole idea was abandoned.

After the war they tried again and a resolution was passed by the National Federation of Women's Institutes to extend the water scheme by making use of the springs on the west side of Yewbarrow to conserve good water for the low lying farms that chiefly depend on bog water.

It was installed in the Parish Hall in 1946, but it was in the 1950's that it was installed into the centre of the village. Many of the farms and houses pumped their own water from springs and wells, and some still do to day.

In 1937 electricity was discussed, but it was left to another year because they could not get enough people interested in the scheme. There were doubts as to its cost, and would they would be able to afford it, and they had managed so far without it.

It was 1946-47 before they agreed to have electricity, and then it was for only a few homes, it was 1953 before the last one was installed.