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History > Lincoln in the 20th Century
Lincoln in the 20th Century
Between November 1904 and August 1905 Lincoln suffered a major typhoid epidemic, caused by polluted drinking water from Hartsholme Lake and the River Witham. This resulted in 113 fatalities (including the very man responsible for the city's water supply, Matthew Robinson), and Westgate Water Tower was subsequently constructed to provide new water supplies to the city.
In the world wars, Lincoln switched to war production. During WWI the first ever tanks were designed and built here by William Foster & Co. Ltd. During WWII Lincoln produced a vast array of war goods including tanks, aircraft, munitions, and military vehicles.
In the early 1950s, Ruston & Hornsby (now known as Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd) opened the first ever production line to build gas turbine engines for land- and sea-based energy production. Hugely successful, this has become the largest single employer in the city, providing over 5,000 jobs in its factory and research facilities and making it a rich takeover target for industrial conglomerates. Plans were announced early in 2008 for the construction of a new plant just outside the city boundary at Teal Park, North Hykeham.
New suburbs were built in the post-Second World War years, but heavy industry declined towards the end of the 20th century, mimicking the wider economic profile of the United Kingdom. However, more people are still employed in Lincoln building gas turbines than anything else.
