It led to a considerable amount of research and eventually it emerged that the pump had been produced by a Dunstable businessman, William Scott.

His granddaughter, Christina Scott, is a member of the society.

William Scott had certain parts of the machine made by local manufacturers. Four were listed in a little notebook as having in their possession the original patterns. They were: Mr F Joslins, Ashton Road , Luton; J.H. Carters, Dunstable (Harrison Carter); Brown & Green Ltd, Luton ; Young, Dunstable

The rest of the parts were made in a forge at the far end of Mr Scott's workshop, in High Street South , by a blacksmith, Mr. Fensome.

The drayman from the lower railway station in Dunstable called regularly each week to collect the items ready for despatch by rail.

William Scott was born in Manton, Wiltshire, in 1858. In 1878 he came to Dunstable for his health, as the place was renowned for its bracing air. He was an apprentice to Edward Eames, the blacksmith, of High Street North . He worshipped at the Primitive Methodist Church in Victoria Street , and in 1880 married Sarah Holt, from Redbourn, who was a local preacher in his church. They had five children.

In 1894, William is listed in Kelly's Directory as "sheet metal worker and general mechanic, High Street South ".

Benjamin (1882-1981) and Albert (1892-1973) are the “Sons” in “Scott and Sons, motor engineers, 20, 21 and 22 High Street South ”, in the 1914 edition of Kelly's Directory.

William died in 1936, but his two sons continued the Scott Garage, which closed in 1948.

Around the turn of the century William Scott had made the acquaintance of Paul Rothermel, the “inventor‘” of the “safety elevator”. Together they established a business which had its office and showroom at 104, Leadenhall Street , London E.C. The works were in Dunstable. The telegrams address was "Rothermel, London ". (see notes)

Paul Rothermel, who was living at 5 Priory Road , Dunstable, died in 1922 and the Scotts took over the full business. The Safety Elevators continued to be sold from Scott's Garage until 1948 when Benjamin and Albert Scott sold their business to the Ford Motor Company of Luton .

Ford's did not buy the “Safety Water Elevator Company” however and Ben continued to sell parts from his own house, 78 Great Northern Road , as long as they lasted. The last of them was sold in September 1961.

Looking through the only two invoice books available from before the 1930s. some observations can be made :

* the two books contain 1000 invoice copies issued between July 1919 and November 1928. This represents an average of nine bills issued each month.

* the places where "Elevators" were sent cover the whole of England from Cornwall to Norfolk , also Wales and Ireland . There is also a dealer in Calcutta who, in 1922, ordered up to 14 elevators at one time.

* Looking at three years at random during the period covered by the books, the following results are obtained :

An average of 25 elevators were sold each year, the most popular types are No.0 and No.1.

During the same time there are approximately 65 invoices for parts, many of them asking for more than one replacement part. The buckets are the most in demand. I presume that the valve system was one of the weak parts of the elevator.

The way the “elevator” works is completely original.

Here, in summary, is the description given in one of the first prospectuses.

“The Outside consists of an iron plate or base, which is placed on the aperture of the well. On this base plate is fixed the cylindrical cover or casing, of oval shape. A removeable dome finishes the outside appearance.”

The inside mechanism is as follows:

1. At the top a chain runs on wheels. A bucket is attached to both ends of the chain. (The illustration shows a later model with two wheels)

2. The wheel is activated by turning the handle. In the larger models this is done through the intermediary of a spur gear.

Lower down, at the level of the spout, there is “an annular channel or reservoir running all round the inside of the casing. It receives the water from the buckets and empties through the spout. There are two apertures for letting the buckets pass up and down.

“The buckets are one of the patented novelties of the elevator. They have in the centre of their bottom a circular aperture closing or opening by a disc or valve.” The bottom bucket, in the water, is closed. The other bucket opens when it reaches the top and empties in the reservoir, the water then rushes out through the spout.

3. A very ingenious system of ratchet and pawl reverses the gear mechanism. The handle is turned the other way round and the bucket, which is on top and now empty, is allowed to go down, while the other one, now full, is pulled up.

There were four models from No.0, the smallest, to No.4 the largest. The first had two gallon buckets (9 litres) and cost £7 10s around 1907 (the price had practically doubled by the 1920s). The largest had two eight-gallon buckets (36 litres) and cost £17. The elevators are said to be able to get water from wells up to 500 ft (150 m) deep. The capacity per hour depended obviously on the strength of the operator. The approximate capacities are given as follows : the smallest, which could serve a well of 2 ft in diameter and was just 3 ft high, without the cover, could deliver 360 gallons of water per hour from a 25 ft deep well ™ or 50 gallons per hour from a 300 ft deep well.

For the largest, which was 4 ft 9 in. high for a well of diameter of 2 ft 8 in. the figures were respectively 1,440 gallons per hour for a 25 ft. deep well and 150 gallons per hour for a 300 ft deep well.

The pumps could be fitted with a one-inch solid brass tap to allow the drawing of the water gradually as required. The largest models used a steel wire cable rather than a chain and could be fitted with a fly wheel so that even very deep wells could be activated by children.

* Paul Rothermel first appears in a London Trade Directory in 1883 described as an agent and commission merchant at 27 Leadenhall Street , EC. He was still at this address in 1884 but in 1885 as an agent and commission merchant and vinegar apparatus maker at 105 Leadenhall Street . From 1886 he is described simply as a commission agent and continued to occupy premises at 105 Leadenhall Street up to and including 1909.

The Safety Water Elevator Company, well sinkers, 104 Leadenhall Street . EC does not appear in directories until 1905. From 1906 the company was described as pump makers and is last listed at this address in 1908. Both 104 and 105 Leadenhall Street always appear to have been in multi-occupation during this period.

The Water Elevator uses the design of ”Jonet's Patent Well Gear". It looks as if Jonet was French and possibly an acquaintance of Paul Rothermel, who was married to a French woman. The tradition is that he was the designer of the pump but his previous occupations seem rather to indicate that he was a shrewd agent who played a key role in the marketing of William Scott's pump at least at the beginning around 1905.