TAYLOR G M

UNITED KINGDOM (see also List of Individuals)

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16.12.1861 London/UK - 11.6.1927 Kensington/UK

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Godfred Midgley Taylor graduated from the King's College in mathematics and chemistry. He joined in 1880 the engineering firm of his father in London and made in the following four years a number of water supplies. From 1884 he was a partner of John Taylor and Sons. With his knowledge in chemistry, Taylor analyzed water samples and turned his attention to sewage disposal. After the death of his father, Taylor entered into partnership with William Santo Crimp (1853-1901), the expert in wastewater treatment of the time. The association with Crimp proved to be the turning point in Taylor's career, for he commenced to specialize in sewage purification technologies and eventually became a leading authority in this field.

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From 1901, once Crimp had passed away, Taylor's ability as a sanitary engineer was widely recognized. One of the important works was connected to the main drainage of Glasgow. The 1912 paper in association with the city engineer of Glasgow describes the drainage area and the purification works. It was stated that “… solids are completely eliminated from the sewage and the tidal waters of the river have proved to be sufficient to effect the final purification of the effluent”. Later, in 1924, the important sewage works for the Thurrock, Grays and Tilbury joint sewerage Board were designed for a sewage discharge of 85 l/s and a maximum rainwater discharge almost six times larger. The pumping station was noteworthy in that all the pumps were driven by electric motors. The sewage was led into sedimentation tanks and was then treated in two sets of bacterial filters, the effluent from which passed to a humus tank. The final effluent was considerably clearer and purer than was the water of the River Thames into which it was discharged. Taylor also developed the activated sludge system of Reading: The works were designed for a population of 90,000 persons. Taylor's advice was also sought abroad, such as in New Zealand for the drainage scheme of Auckland, in South Africa for drainage matters in Port Elizabeth or in India, where he contributed to the drainage scheme of Bombay. Taylor had a high scientific ability combined with a persuading personality and absolute professional rectitude which secured for him the great position he enjoyed. He counts among those who developed the modern sewage treatment.

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_{Anonymous (1927). Godfred Midgley Taylor. The Engineer 143: 661-662. P}

_{Anonymous (1927). The late Mr. G. Midgley Taylor. Engineering 123: 732.}

_{McDonald, A.B., Taylor, G.M. (1912). The main drainage of Glasgow. Minutes Proc. Institution of Civil Engineers 189(3): 167-212.}