New book on life of Norwich engineer Arthur Collins

Talented people who do important work behind the scenes while others tend to take pride of place, shake hands and smile for the camera.

One such gentleman was Arthur Elliston Collins. You may have seen his name on commemorative plaques on bridges and buildings around Norwich…but just  who was he?

He has cropped up in several of my stories recently in connection with the city of 100 years ago and we certainly have a lot to thank him for.

Arthur was Norwich’s City Engineer from 1894 through to 1925, and among other things he is credited with at last providing us with a working sewage system.

A basic requirement which helped turn the medieval city into a place fit for the 20th century.

Later on, he was the key to the city fathers’ pioneering development of social housing, culminating in the great Mile Cross Estate, which has recently celebrated its centenary.

Not only a brilliant engineer and builder Arthur was also a forceful and interesting character.

He arrived in Norwich halfway through his working life and remained for 31 years until his retirement at the age of 68.

Matthew Williams has written previously about him in his books on Norwich’s water systems and the Great Flood of 1912, but has now gathered together all his research on Collin’s life to provide a highly readable and illustrated little book, appropriately called The Masterful Mr Collins.

And he wants to praise and thank all those who helped him in collecting the information from a variety of local and national sources.

“For years, we have celebrated the architects George Skipper and Edward Boardman who have left us with some wonderful buildings, but I believe their contemporary Arthur Collins was just as important to Norwich,” said Matthew.

“Without his staying power and his engineering work, much of which is out of sight, the city could not have functioned. It is time to celebrate his life and his great achievements,” he added.

Indeed it is.

Arthur was primarily a ‘nuts and bolts’ man, a provider of vital utilities rather than a designer of stand-out buildings. Much of his extensive construction legacy remains hidden from view.

But now, at last, we can learn more about them and the brilliant and outspoken engineer who did so many to improve the day-to-day life of the people of Norwich.

The Masterful Mr Collins: Norwich’s City Engineer 1894-1925 by Matthew Williams is available for £7.50 plus postage from SCT Books at www.sctbooks.co.uk or from local bookshops.