from wells and street pumps, nor was there adequate sewerage or sanitation. These problems caused Rugby's growth to stall. In 1849 Rugby became the first town in England to have a Local board of health, beating Croydon by a matter of weeks. The board had powers to levy a rate to provide drinking water and sewage facilities as well as powers to clean and pave streets and provide street lighting. However several early schemes to provide adequate drinking water were unsuccessful. It was not until 1876 that a reliable supply was obtained from the River Avon. Until the 1870s, the cattle market was still held in the town centre as it had been since the Middle Ages. However this became increasingly unpopular with local residents. In 1878 the cattle market was moved near the railway station and within the last few years has been transformed into a housing estate In 1894 Rugby became an urban district and gained its first elected council. 20th century The engineering works in Rugby attracted many workers to the town, and in the early decades of the 20th century the population grew rapidly and Rugby's built-up area spread fast in all directions. In 1901 the population of Rugby was 16,950, by the 1930s it had reached 40,000. Due to its expansion Rugby became a municipal borough in 1932, and the old Rugby Urban District Council was replaced with Rugby Borough Council. The nearby parishes of Bilton, Brownsover, Hillmorton and Newbold-on-Avon were incorporated into the new borough. Further local government reform in 1974 saw the borough expand to include the whole of the abolished Rugby Rural District. From 1926, near Rugby to its east was a large antenna farm for the Rugby VLF transmitter. All but four of the twelve big radio masts (used to broadcast the MSF time signal) were demolished in June 2004 – delayed by rabbits chewing through the wires controlling detonation. The other four were demolished in 2007. In the late 1930s Frank Whittle developed the jet engine in Rugby. With his work taking place at the British Thomson-Houston works, and at Brownsover Hall. Unlike nearby Coventry and Nuneaton, Rugby was highly fortunate to avoid German bombing during the Second World War. This is perhaps somewhat surprising given the town's strategic importance as a railway junction and engineering centre. A few stray bombs landed on Dunchurch and some meant for the English