Geograph - photograph every grid square

Alnwick's water was originally supplied by streams and a couple of wells. A number of roads in the town follow the course of the original streams (Clayport, Hotspur Street, Wagonway Road, Canongate, Greenwell Lane and Bow Alley). The streams were not completely covered over until 1827. As they were, the water was routed through public water fountains called pants.
Alnwick flourished in the middle of the 18th century. The town became an important staging point on the Great North Road, and on the turnpike road between Hexham and Alnmouth. More pants were constructed during this period, to serve an increasingly prosperous population (Tower Well Pant:1752, Green Batt Pant:1753, clayport Pant: 1755, St Michael's Pant: 1759, Church Pant, 1778)
By the middle of the 19th century the pants were unable to provide sufficient clean water for a rapidly growing population. After a serious outbreak of Cholera in 1849 piped water was introduced. By the end of the 1850's this was to supply most of the town's needs. In the last 150 years some of the old pants have been replaced, some removed, and some destroyed by vehicles, but most are still maintained. They can still be appreciated as important features of the townscape.

Thanks to Alnwick Civic Society for permission to use information from their website:
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