Cambridge Museum of Technology facts for kids
The pumping station steam engine house
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| Established | 1970 |
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| Location | Cheddars Lane, Cambridge |
The Cambridge Museum of Technology is an exciting museum in Cambridge, England. It teaches you about how things were made and worked in the past. The main building is very old, built in 1894. It was once a station that pumped sewage and burned rubbish.
The museum helps people explore and learn about local industries. It celebrates the amazing things people in Cambridge created. The museum is on the River Cam and has green areas for picnics. It's a relaxed and fun place for families. You can watch videos and try hands-on exhibits. There are also special activities for kids.
You can see the Victorian Pumping Station with its original machines. It shows off incredible 19th-century engineering. The museum also tells the story of Cambridge's forgotten industries. These are different from the famous colleges. Plus, a new building shows how local companies like Pye and Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company made new things in the 20th century.
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History of the Pumping Station
The Cheddars Lane Pumping Station opened in 1894. It was part of a big plan to manage the city's waste. This plan also included a sewage farm in Milton, about two miles away.
The station burned household rubbish to create steam. This steam powered engines that pumped sewage to the Milton farm. At the farm, the sewage was used as fertiliser for crops. These crops fed the horses that collected rubbish for the station. Even the ash from the burnt rubbish could be used to build roads!
Original Equipment from 1894
The first boilers at the station used steam from burning waste. This waste was collected from around the city. The furnaces used for burning are almost completely preserved today. They show a typical design for a medium-sized city waste burner. This includes the buildings, equipment, and chimney.
The museum's main attractions are two Hathorn Davey steam engines. One of them still works! It often runs on special steam weekends. These engines lifted dirty water (sewage and rainwater) from a pit below. They sent it to the sewage farm in Milton. The water was lifted about 43 feet high.
These engines could pump 250,000 gallons of sewage every hour. They did this job until 1968. That's when a new electric engine house was built nearby. However, this newer site closed down in 1994.
The chimney is 175 feet tall. It has eight sides and a square base. Inside, it's lined with special bricks for 50 feet. The top opening is 6 feet 6 inches wide. In 1992, a famous steeplejack named Fred Dibnah climbed the chimney. He did painting and repair work. This was even shown on a BBC TV programme!
The building now used as the print shop was built around 1900. It was a public health disinfector. It used leftover steam to clean bed linen and clothes. These came from hospitals and old people's homes. Later, it became a workshop for the pumping station.
Gas Engines from 1909
Cambridge was growing, and more water needed pumping. So, in 1909, two 94-horsepower National gas engines were added. These engines helped pump water after heavy rain.
They powered two 15-inch centrifugal pumps using a flat belt. These pumps were later replaced in 1935 by Gwynnes Limited pumps. They could pump water to Milton or to large storage tanks. But the steam engines were still the main way to move sewage. The storage tanks could hold over a million gallons of water. Today, one of these gas engines still works!
New Boiler from 1923
By the 1920s, the waste being burned wasn't as good for making steam. Also, rubbish wasn't collected on Sundays anymore. So, a new Babcock & Wilcox boiler was installed in 1923. This boiler was used when there wasn't enough waste to burn.
This new boiler used coke as fuel. Coke is a product made from Coal gas production. It often came from the Cambridge gas works next to the pumping station. By 1942, this boiler provided most of the steam. The old waste burners were only used for business waste or as a backup.
Electric Pump from 1937
The last pump installed at the site was an electric one in 1937. A Crompton Parkinson electric motor powered an 18-inch Gwynnes Limited pump. This 114-horsepower electric motor can be seen at the river end of its room. Its job was to handle the increasing amounts of storm water. This extra water came from new housing areas in the city.
Collections
The museum has many other cool things to see. You can find a working steam winch. It pulls a small railway with wagons to help remove ash. There are also many other engines, both steam and other types.
The print room has a large collection of old printing machines. This includes a Linotype machine, which was used to set type for newspapers. You can also see a big collection of old electrical equipment and much more!
See also
