News
William Lindley and William H. Lindley got Blue Plaque in London
Magical Winter and a happy New Year 2015
(Photo by Ursula Frydrych)
Exhibition „Underground City. 125 years of Warsaw water supply
125 years ago the first inhabitants of Warsaw could drink fresh and filtered water direct from their taps. The modern design based on experience gained in Hamburg and Frankfurt on Main made the Lindleys heroes of the day.
The construction started in 1883 and only three years later the dream came true. On this occasion the Warsaw Municipal Waterworks Ltd. (MPWiK) have planned two majour events: a special edition of a new photo-album and a photo exposition under the same title.
The presentation of the album took place on 31 May, in the mid of the day, on a beautiful location of Warsaw treasure premises – Old Orangerie in Łazienki Park.
On the same day the photo exhibition was opened for the general public. Set on beautifully renovated drawings as well as old photographs from MPWiK collection are to be admired from 1 June in the so called Open-air Łazienki Gallery along Aleje Ujazdowskie avenue.
20 years have passed since our first meeting at the Polish Institute in Darmstadt in 2003, when Ryszard Żelichowski presented the first edition of his book The Lindleys. The history of an engineering family.In following years, the family reunion took place in Warsaw (2007), Hamburg (2008), Prague (2009), Frankfurt am Main (2012), Baku (2014, 2017) and Hamburg (2015 and 2018).
Munich 2023.
At the end of the pandemic mixed team of English and German families, started to think about a new place to meet.The choice of Munich seemed natural. One of our seniors, Ursula Caspar (1931-2023), who turned 90 in 2021, lived there, but due to the pandemic we could not visit her.Secondly, in Munich is located the famous German Museum, which William Heerlein Lindley co-organized with German engineer Oskar von Miller, sat on its Management Board and served there for many years as secretary-recorder (Schriftfüher). The Archive, which is part of the Museum, since 1920 holds materials donated by the wife of Sir William Heerlein, Lady Fanny Henrietta Lindley (1859-1931), in the form of Lindley Stiftung (Lindley Foundation). And least but not last, 170 years ago (1853) William H. Lindley was born. A nice, round date to celebrate.
Unfortunately, fate decided that Ursula Caspar left us in April this year, and before her, both her brothers Alexander and Dietrich.
Margrit and Lorenz Neubauer, Karin Deubner and Tom Lindley. A warm evening in the Hirschgarten, a Bavarian
specialty
After consultation with the Archive and the family, we agreed that we will continue our reunion. The best time to visit Minich, according to the Archive directors, was 12-14 September. The organization of our three-day reunion remained the responsibility of Eugen Deubner from Wiesbaden, who remains in permanent contact with the German part of the family. The English part led by Bill Lindley eagerly joined the project.
Eugen Deubner, Ben Lindley and Alex Egerton
Bill Lindley, Ryszard Żelichowski and Ben Lindley
The chief-goal was accomplished. After five years we met and enjoyed the re-union and had a great time together. The highlights were: the presentation by Dr. Röschner, deputy director of the Archive, some of the treasures of the Archive, including examples of Lindleiana collection and a witty and informative tour of the Deutsches Museum guided by Alexander Lucas.
We look forward to the next family reunion, possibly in England.
2016 was another good year for our Society. In September we took part in the 130-anniversary of the Water Supply Company in Warsaw. We have published the W.H. Lindley Plan of 1912 Warsaw, very important for Warsaw after war destructions. It is a collector item.
We wish you all:
Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year 2017
Phot. Urszula Frydrych
On the 22nd of April 2015 in Blackheath (London Borough of Greenwich) was unveiled a plaque funded by English Heritage Blue Plaques, dedicated to William Lindley and his eldest son, William Heerlein.
In this way, we have completed long-lasting process to bring to the Pantheon of those with outstanding imerits for the British Empire, two engineers, natives of the County of Yorkshire, the pioneers of hygiene, who had worked most of their life in the three empires-Austro-Hungarian, German, and Russian.
Dear Members, Dear Friends of the Societas Lindleiana,
In the hectic days day of traditional Polish Christmas, so important for every family, the Board of SL wishes you and your families, when you seat tired but happy by the handsomely stocked table and beautifully decorated Christmas tree, a moment of reflection over the passage of time.
And when the snow falls, we invite you to take a walk and seat on a certain bench near Royal Castle and look at the a certain English civil engineer patiently standing beside the bench. Think favorably about his life and what he has done for our city, and by the way, also about us.
We wish you a magical Winter, a happy Christmas, and all the best in 2015!
The Board of Societas Lindleiana,
Warsaw, Poland 2014
On 7-13 April 2014, four members of the Lindley family from Germany, Switzerland and Scotland, along with the President of Societas Lindleiana and his wife, received an invitation to the CATEC W- ater Technologies Exhibition and Conference, organized in Baku by Azersu OJSC (State water supply Company, open joint-stock company). Azersu organized us a wonderful program, through which we were able to not only learn about the history of the Republic, the city and the great changes made by Presidents Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev, but also see Shollar, a magic place where he William H. Lindley found the source of drinking water for Baku.
Group employees of Azersu with guests of the Lindley family( from left to right: Manaf Suleymanov, Xadija Abdullayeva, Ryszard Żelichowski, Hanna Żelichowska, Alexander Caspar, Tasognov Abdulbagi, Karin Deubner, Hijran Aliyeva-Sztrauch, Catharina Porter, Eugen Deubner and Shakir Mammadov. In the background the monument of H. Tagiyev w Shollar).