New public baths and wash houses were constructed on Clayport in 1874. By then a piped water supply to the town had been in place for about 20 years, and was beginning to prove inadequate to support increased demand.
On 10 June 1876, Alnwick Board of Health noted that the Assistant Surveyor was receiving complaints from the higher parts of town that their water supply was failing on Sunday Mornings because the baths were filling the large pool ready for use on Monday. There was a fear that this might result in kitchen boilers exploding.
By 1878 the pipes from the reservoir were insufficient to satisfy the level of demand in the higher parts of town, and the water supply to Percy Terrace, Argyle Terrace, the top of Howick Street, and the higher part of Clayport was being cut off for several days at a time. In November of that year a new 4 inch water main from the reservoir to Green Batt was in operation, with junctions to existing mains in associated streets. This solved the immediate problem, but some of the connections were still using the original main. It was already known that some pipes were badly corroded, and it was thought that they would soon need a new connection.