The Ritchie System of Reinforced Concrete

REFERENCES

• Historic Concrete: Background and Appraisal, eds R.J.M. Sutherland, et al. (Thomas Telford, London, 2001).
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• Institution of Civil Engineers, Panel for Historical Engineering Works Record number 425. See also Records 426, King's Stanley mill, Stonehouse, Glos. (1813) and 961, Shaddon Mills, Carlisle (1835), and also A.W. Skempton and H.R. Johnson, 'The first iron frames', Architectural Review, vol. 131 (1962), pp. 175–86.
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• Compulsory registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages was introduced in Ireland in 1863 by two Acts, 26&27 Vict. c. 11 (Births and Deaths) and 26 & 27 Vict. c. 90 (Marriages).
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• & 16 Vict. c. 84. Initially, all filtered-water reservoirs within a circle of 5-mile radius based on St. Paul's' Cathedral had to be covered (Section 2).
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• William Morris, 'Covered service reservoirs', Minutes of Institution of Civil Engineers, vol. LXXIII (1883), p. 9 and plate 2.
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• Ogle Tarbotton, 'Covered service reservoir, Nottingham waterworks', The Engineer, vol. XX (10 July 1885), p. 27.
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• C.F. March and W. Dunn, Reinforced concrete, 3rd. edn (London, 1906).
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• F.W. Taylor and S.E. Thompson, A treatise on concrete, plain and reinforced, (New York, 1906), pp. 330–33.
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• Ibid., 3rd edn (1919), pp. 571–72.
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• Marsh and Dunn, op.cit.
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• H. Adams and E.R. Matthews, Reinforced concrete construction (London, 1911), pp. 12, 15. These are sometimes referred to as 'Moss bars'.
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• Marsh and Dunn, op.cit., pp. 52–54.
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• W. Morris, 'Circular covered service-reservoirs', Institution of Civil Engineers, Selected Papers, pt 1 (1914–15), pp. 409–21.
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• A.C. Jack, 'The construction of the Meriden service reservoir', Civil Engineering, (Aug. 1932), pp. 13–17. Designer was Sir Alex. Binnie, Son and Deacon.
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• Mr E.H. Sidwell, C.Eng., who was involved with the construction of the Ritchie reservoir and water tower at Nuneaton (see later), has indicted that he was led to believe that the ideas covered by Ritchie's patents originated in France.
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• Anon., `Pex Hill reservoir', Civil Engineering (January 1939), pp. 24–28. Consultants Herbert Lapworth, Partners. The encasing in concrete of only the upper 300 mm of the steel stanchions looks odd, as it appears to assume that the water level in the reservoir will never fall.
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• For example: the tank in the Intze tower at Laporte Chemicals, Luton, could not be built in the system, although the columns and braces could have been (Concrete Yearbook (1938), p. 233). The cylindrical concrete tank built on an old brick chimney for Low Temperature Carbonisation Ltd., Barnsley, is unlikely to have been built in the system (Concrete Yearbook (1937), p. 230).
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• H.C. Ritchie, 'Reinforced concrete for water retaining structures', Trans. Inst. Water Engineers, vol. 27 (1922), pp. 96–97.
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• J.O.C. Ritchie, 'Water towers', The Structural Engineer, vol. XXXV (1957), pp. 14–35, discussion pp. 267–73.
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• Lt Col. F. Hibbert, 'Steel and concrete water tower', Civil Engineering (May 1932), pp. 47–49. This is reprinted from Royal Engineers Journal.
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• Civil Engineering (October 1932), p.28.
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• Ibid., pp. 24–29.
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• Civil Engineering (June 1934) notes a tender being invited, although this location might be more properly referred to as Warren Street.
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• Civil Engineering (April 1946), p. 129.
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• Copy supplied by Mr F. Lund. It is understood that the ICE library also holds a copy.
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• The date on the side appears to be 1933.
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• Concrete Yearbook (1938), p. 226. These are demolished.
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• J.O.C. Ritchie, op.cit.
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• Concrete Yearbook (1939), p. 240 (p. 700 - contractor H Fairclough). It is not certain that the system was used here. The current status of these is not known.
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• H.C. Ritchie, Reinforced concrete for water-retaining structures, Institution of Water Engineers (18 May 1932), 44 pp.
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• The drawing has a separate mark-number for this stirrup although the arrangement 10-b would appear to be still adequate.
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• From the Formal Opening Programme dated 6 October 1938.
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• Anon., 'Nottingham's Derwent Valley Water Supply', The Surveyor, vol. 109 (1 January 1950), p. 43.
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• Anon., 'Harpenden water tower - an improved method of construction', Water and Water Engineering (20 September 1936), pp. 419–21.
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• F. Hibbert, op. cit.
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• No name is given but F. Lund referred to it as `Chorley'. This is not Chorley, Lancs., where the now demolished tower was not built until about 1938 (see Concrete and Constructional Engineering (1937) p. 398, which notes the tender award). The photograph is oblique to the front but the letters over the door may be NRD (Nantwich Rural District), making this Chorley, Cheshire, and the tower that known to North West Water as Wirswall (1931, and not seen by author).
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• Used here as a generic term to mean multi-sided, although most are octagonal.
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• This is not definitely attributed to Ritchie but it seems to fit the pattern and the central feature seems to be the same as that used on Upton.
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• Water and Water Engineering (20 July 1933), pp. 452–53. The steel-work core is illustrated.
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• Bewdley tower, 1934, is not ascribed, but looks like a simplified version of Upton.
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• J.O.C. Ritchie, op. cit.
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• Anon., 'Chester water supply', Water and Water Engineering (September 1937), pp. 493–95. Anon., 'New reservoir and water tower at Chester', Civil Engineering (August 1937), pp. 293–94. Both show the steel RSJs at Broughton reservoir; the latter gives cross sections for the water tower.
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• Concrete Yearbook (1939), p. 259. The illustration distorts the perspective suggesting a tall, thin, tower.
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• Civil Engineering (1940), pp. 315–17 and data from Corby Waterworks Company's records respectively.
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• J.O.C. Ritchie, op. cit., refers to it and states that all of the towers mentioned used the 'Reinforced Steelwork System'. The contractor, Tarmac Ltd, referred to it in a company adver-tisement as 'cast stone' (although it is not clear whether this may refer to some surface featuring instead).
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• Anon., 'The Chatterton water tower', Water and Water Engineering (June 1955), pp. 235–41. `Chatterton' was a person's name, not a place.
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• Anon., 'The Siward's How Water Tower', Water and Water Engineering (September 1957), pp. 377–82, which shows plans and sections.
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• J.O.C. Ritchie op. cit.
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• Anon., 'Shrewsbury's water supply', Water and Water Engineering (September 1935), pp. 477–84.
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• Concrete Yearbook (1937), p. 689.
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• J.O.C. Ritchie, 'The Oaks water tower of the Sheffield Corporation Waterworks at Norton Park', Water and Water Engineering (October 1961), pp. 425–29. The tower in Sheffield at (Far) Potter Hill appears to be a smaller version.
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• Of Caxton House, Westminster. This was the address of the Trussed Steel Concrete Company, so this Moritz Kahn must have been related to Julius Kahn, who introduced the Kahn system of reinforcement to Britain. Later, Ritchie partnered with a Mr Black, also of Liverpool, who, according to F. Lund, left to become editor of a transport magazine.
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• British Patent Office Patent number 120,745, applied 13.8.1917, accepted 13 November 1918.
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