Publications
Crawley & District Water Company, 1897-1926, by Charles J. and Peter Longley, published 2002 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 32, article, pp.8-23, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506530] Download PDF
Abstract:James Longley commenced his business as a builder and contractor in 1863 and from 1881 the Company operated from Crawley. He was joined in the business by his three sons and substantial contracts were undertaken such as the building of the new Christ's Hospital on a site at West Horsham which was commenced in 1897. In the same year James Longley was persuaded to take an interest in a local venture that was about to be established. This was the Crawley and District Water Company of which he became Chairman with his son as Vice-chairman. He also provided substantial amounts of finance for the Company. It immediately ran into problems, the bore-holes required for the supply being of much greater depth than had at first been anticipated. With the growth of the business they proved inadequate to supply the demand and water had to be purchased from the East Surrey Company. In 1915, on the death of his father, Charles J. Longley became Chairman, but problems increased with public discontent at the intermittent nature of the supply, not helped by equipment failure. In 1926 the enterprise was sold to Horsham Rural District Council, shareholders only recovering about 45% of their original investment. In January 1926 Charles J. Longley wrote A Short History of the Crawley and District Water Company which was privately published and is now a scarce work. For this reason the Society thought it desirable that the content should be made available to a wider readership. Apart from detailing the history of the undertaking, the Short History provides a valuable commentary on the troubles the Company experienced in its later years and Charles J. Longley's feelings about some of the prominent figures of the Crawley area who orchestrated the complaints. The text is reproduced in full and is followed by a commentary by Peter Longley, his grandson, which reproduces letters and documents relative to the later history of the Water Company.
James Longley & Co. and the Building of Christ's Hospital, West Horsham, by Peter Longley, published 2003 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 33, article, pp.36-39, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506531] Download PDF
Abstract:The architect for the project was Sir Aston Webb, then at the height of his career, and the contracts for erecting the buildings were placed with the local firm of James Longley & Co. of Crawley. Longley's entered into two contracts, the first in April 1896 for the foundation work at a cost of £25000, their tender being the lowest. A second contract followed in 1898 to erect six boarding houses, classrooms, dining and school hall, chapel and married masters' houses. A preparatory school and an additional boarding house followed. Charles Longley, the son of James Longley, and active in the management of the Company, recalled in his Recollections privately published in 1923, the involvement of the Company in the Christ's Hospital contracts.