A NEW book recalls how a the arrival of a waterworks and pumping station in an idyllic village changed its future forever.

Dr. Patrick Chaplin of Norfolk Road, Maldon, has published the history book about the Langford where he was raised.

The book, titled Going with the Flow: A History of Langford Waterworks and the Museum of Power; documents resident’s battle with the Southend Waterworks Company in the 1920s.

The village was a rural idyll with a population of just 200 people.

However, Southend Waterworks Company had been searching for a river from which to extract and purify water which would then be pumped to Southend.

Dr Chaplin said: “Before the coming of the waterworks Langford had been an insignificant village where the main occupation was agriculture.

“The majority of residents lived in properties owned by Lord Byron, the family who owned the estate.

“The arrival of the waterworks with its colossal hi-tech steam pumping engines and its highly advanced treatment plant brought prosperity and some measure of fame to Langford.”

Dr Chaplin has previously written a series of books about darts, with the book becoming his second community history book.

He said: “Going with the Flow is technical enough to appeal to steam and power enthusiasts yet it is written in a friendly style which will also appeal to those with direct connections to Langford and the waterworks.

“It will also appeal to those keen on community history, the thousands of people who visit the Museum of Power every year and to the merely curious who wonder why such an obscure village was chosen to lead the world in water treatment.”

The book is published by Allen Chaplin Publishing.

The book costs £8.95 and is available from today at the Maldon Tourist Information Centre or the Museum of Power.