Ernest Collins (18 February 1851''London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917'' – 20 April 1914) was a British water supply engineer. He was born in

Harefield Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, northwest of Charing Cross near Greater London's boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north. The population at the 2011 Census was 7,399. Haref ...

, Middlesex, the fifth son of the Rev. Robert Cave Wood Collins, then Vicar of Harefield, and his wife, Rachel Vernor Miles. He was educated at

Aldenham Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, north-east of Watford and southwest of Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of Hertsmere's 14 conservation areas. The village has eight pre-19th-century listed buil ...

Grammar School and Neuchâtel. After serving his articles to

Ruston, Proctor and Company Ruston, Proctor and Company was established in Lincoln, England in 1857, and were manufacturers of steam tractors and engines. They later became Rustons and then Ruston & Hornsby. History The firm was started as millwrights and implement man ...

, of Lincoln, he took a post with Hopkins, Gilkes & Company. In 1880, he joined the staff of the

New River Company The New River Company, formally The Governor and Company of the New River brought from Chadwell and Amwell to London, was a privately-owned water supply company in London, England, originally formed around 1609 and incorporated in 1619 by roy ...

, which supplied clean water to London via an artificial waterway. He was their chief engineer when the company was transferred to the

Metropolitan Water Board The Metropolitan Water Board was a municipal body formed in 1903 to manage the water supply in London, UK. The members of the board were nominated by the local authorities within its area of supply. In 1904 it took over the water supply functi ...

. In 1905, he was appointed Engineer of the New River District, a position he held until his retirement in 1911. He was elected a Member of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

in 1892. In 1883, Collins introduced the almost universally adopted system of testing and stamping water fittings. He was also Chairman of Council of Hampstead General Hospital. He died in

Christchurch, Hampshire Christchurch () is a town and civil parish in Dorset on the south coast of England. The town had a population of 31,372 in 2021. For the borough the population was 48,368. It adjoins Bournemouth to the west, with the New Forest to the east. Pa ...

in 1914, aged 63.''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Ernest 1851 births 1914 deaths English civil engineers Hydraulic engineers People from Harefield