Coultershaw Wharf and Beam Pump facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coultershaw Beam Pump |
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The Coultershaw Beam Pump fountain pump output on a working day
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| Location | Petworth, West Sussex, England |
| OS grid reference | SU9720819409 |
| Elevation | 9 metres (30 ft) |
| Built | 1782 |
| Built for | 3rd Earl of Egremont |
| Restored | 1980 |
| Restored by | Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society |
| Owner | The Coultershaw Trust |
| Official name: Coultershaw Beam Pump | |
| Reference no. | 1005817 |
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Coultershaw Bridge is a small community in West Sussex, England. It's about 1.5 miles south of the town Petworth. Here, the A285 road crosses the River Rother.
For many years, Coultershaw was an important place for trade and water supply. From 1792 to 1888, there were wharves and a lock on the Rother Navigation, which was like a canal. A water mill also stood here until the 1970s. This mill housed a special machine called the Coultershaw Beam Pump.
The pump was first set up in 1782 by the 3rd Earl of Egremont. Its job was to pump water from the river all the way to Petworth and his home, Petworth House. After the mill was taken down, the Coultershaw Beam Pump was fixed up. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, which means it's a protected historical site. You can visit it on summer weekends!
Contents
The Name Coultershaw
The name "Coultershaw" has a long history. In Saxon times, this area was called "Cuóheres Hóh." This meant "Couhere's spur of land." Over time, the name changed many times. By 1240, it was "Cuteresho." Later spellings included "Cowtershall," "Cowtershawe," and "Coultersole." Finally, around 1800, it became known as "Coultershaw."
Coultershaw Mill's Story
A mill has likely stood at Coultershaw for a very long time. The Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086, mentioned a mill in Petworth. This was almost certainly the one at Coultershaw.
Who Owned the Mill?
By the mid-1200s, the mill belonged to the Percy family. In 1240, William de Percy gave the mill to Shulbrede Priory, a religious house. However, he kept the right to grind all the grain used in his home at Petworth for free. The priory also got permission to use earth from Percy's land to fix the mill-pool. Farmers from nearby villages even helped repair the mill-pool a few days each year.
The Percy family never took the mill back. So, it stayed with the priory for centuries. Surveys in 1275 and 1291 showed the mill belonged to the priory. In 1535, a survey ordered by King Henry VIII still listed the mill as part of the priory's property.
Changes After the Monasteries Closed
When King Henry VIII closed the monasteries in 1536, the mill and other priory properties were given to Sir William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton. Later, the mill returned to the Percy family. In 1670, Lady Elizabeth Percy inherited the Petworth properties. She married Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset in 1682, making him the owner of the Petworth estate.
In 1750, the Duke of Somerset died. His nephew, Charles Wyndham, inherited Petworth and the title Earl of Egremont.
Originally, there were two mills for grinding corn and one for malt here in 1534. The corn mill was updated in 1910. Its old water wheel was replaced with a water turbine. The grindstones were swapped for steel rollers. In 1919, an engine house was built to provide extra power when the river water was low. Another turbine was added in 1922. Sadly, a fire destroyed the mill in 1923. A new, less attractive building was put up in its place.
The Gwillim family ran the mill from the early 1900s until it closed in 1972. After John Gwillim died in 1972, the mill stopped working. The building was taken down the next year. Luckily, the important beam pump and water wheel were saved for future restoration.
Petworth's Water Supply History
Before pipes brought water to Petworth, people got water from natural springs. One such spring, the Virgin Mary Spring, still provides water today.
Early Piped Water
The first piped water system in Petworth was set up in the early 1500s. Rev. John Edmunds, a local church leader, installed a lead pipe. It brought water from springs about a mile west of town to Petworth House and public water points in the town. By 1575, these pipes were old and broken. To help pay for repairs, Henry, 8th Earl of Northumberland gave the town a field called Conduit Field.
By 1625, there were fountains and water points around town. But the money from Conduit Field wasn't enough to keep the pipes fixed. So, the town and the Earl agreed: the Earl would take back the field but would be responsible for maintaining the water supply.
The Coultershaw Pump's Role
By the late 1700s, the old water system wasn't enough for Petworth. So, in 1782, George, 3rd Earl of Egremont installed a pump at Coultershaw Mill. This pump was powered by a wooden water wheel. It pushed water through a pipe to two reservoirs: one in Petworth Park and another in town.
The river water wasn't clean enough for drinking because it contained fine dirt and other things. So, this new supply was kept separate from the old spring water system. Even though it wasn't for drinking, many people connected to it without permission. By 1839, the Coultershaw pipes supplied 7 public and 146 private taps in Petworth.
Cleaner Water for Petworth
In 1874, a doctor named Charles Kelly reported on Petworth's water and health. He found that the town's dirty water flowed into the River Rother, upstream from the pump. This meant the water pumped to town was not clean. People often used this river water because it was easier to get than walking to the clean spring water points. Dr. Kelly suggested a new system using fresh spring water and stopping dirty water from entering the river.
His ideas were put into action in 1882. A new pumping station was built at Haslingbourne. A steam engine pumped clean spring water to a new reservoir. This new supply was connected to the existing pipes in town. The river water was then only used for the reservoir in Petworth Park, not for drinking.
Coultershaw Wharf: A Busy Port
Between 1791 and 1794, the Third Earl of Egremont paid to improve the River Rother. He built locks to make the river navigable for boats carrying goods. This connected the river to the River Arun and then to the Wey and Arun Canal, which led to London.
Work on the new Rother Navigation started in 1791. By 1792, it reached Coultershaw Wharf. Here, the canal used the millstream. Commercial boats began using the canal in 1793. Timber was carried from Coultershaw, and chalk arrived for a new kiln built nearby.
New Bridge and Tolls
Before 1800, the main road from Chichester to Petworth crossed the River Rother at Rotherbridge. The Earl of Egremont suspected that the miller at Coultershaw was letting people cross the river using the mill bridge to avoid paying tolls. So, in 1800, Lord Egremont paid for a new bridge at Coultershaw. The old bridge at Rotherbridge was taken down, and its stones were used for the new Coultershaw bridge. A toll-house was built on the west side of the river.
Even though Coultershaw was about 1.5 miles south of Petworth, it was the closest wharf on the navigation. It quickly made it easier to bring in things like fertilizer, coal, and building materials. It also helped local farmers and businesses sell their products in wider markets. Coultershaw Wharf became the busiest on the navigation, handling more than half of all the goods transported. In 1820, 1,683 tons of coal came to Coultershaw.
By 1808, the wharf spread across both sides of the river. "Big Wharf" had a warehouse, a blacksmith's shop, and coal storage areas. "Little Wharf" had various huts and storehouses. The flour mill and Lord Egremont's limekilns were also nearby.
The navigation was busiest from 1823 to 1863. Over 10,000 tons of goods were moved each year. In 1843, 2,000 tons of coal came to Coultershaw. That year, 7,000 tons of goods passed through Coultershaw, which was 55% of all traffic on the navigation.
The Arrival of Railways
In 1859, the railway line from Pulborough to Petworth opened. The new Petworth station was about half a mile from Coultershaw. At first, the railway didn't affect the navigation much. But in 1863, the railway was extended further south. Within a year, the navigation lost 5,000 tons of its annual traffic. When the railway reached Midhurst in 1866, even more traffic was lost. The canal was then mostly used for very large items, like big trees, that couldn't fit on the trains.
Commercial traffic continued on the navigation until 1888. It was officially closed in 1936. The toll house at Coultershaw was taken down in the late 1870s. The lock and bridge have survived, even though the main road bridge (A285) was widened.
There are two bridges at Coultershaw Wharf. The one over the River Rother, built in 1803, still carries heavy traffic today. The bridge over the old navigation used to be a steep "hump back" bridge, but the road has since been flattened.
The Amazing Beam Pump
The beam pump was installed in the mill in 1782. Its job was to pump water from the river to Petworth and Petworth House. The house was about 1.5 miles north of the mill and over 150 feet higher! We don't know who designed this specific pump. But it looks a lot like pumps installed by George Sorocold under London Bridge in 1705. So, Lord Egremont probably knew about those pumps.
Similar pumps were built nearby in West Sussex around the same time, at Uppark and Bignor Park. Another was built at Woolbeding in the 1840s. But all of these, including the London Bridge pumps, have been destroyed. This makes the Coultershaw pump the only one of its kind still working!
How the Pump Works
The pump is powered by a water wheel. This wheel turns a special part called a crankshaft. The crankshaft moves three long beams, which are like giant levers. These beams push and pull pump rods up and down. The pump has three cylinders. It can create a lot of pressure, pushing water over 75 pounds per square inch!
Water is drawn from the channel feeding the wheel through a cast iron pipe. It's then sent through another cast iron pipe to the reservoirs in Petworth. At its best, the pump could deliver about 20,000 gallons of water per day. That's like a "hogshead" (a very large barrel) every minute!
The first water wheel was made entirely of wood. But in the mid-1800s, it was replaced with an iron wheel. The current wheel has two cast iron "spiders" (like spokes) with oak paddles. When it first operated, the pump was very noisy. You could hear its clatter throughout the mill! Since it was restored, a flexible part has been added between the wheel and the pump. This has made it much quieter.
The pump survived the fire that destroyed the original mill in 1923. It kept working in the new building until about 1960. Because no other working beam pump of its size and age is known to exist, the restored Coultershaw pump was declared an Ancient Monument in 1980.
Bringing the Pump Back to Life
Even though the mill was taken down in 1973, the beam pump and water wheel were saved. They needed a lot of work, like replacing parts of the sluices and waterwheel paddles. In 1976, the Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society got permission to fix the pump.
Volunteers from the society did the restoration work. Money came from grants and help from Lord Egremont, who owned the land. Work started right away. By October, a temporary visitor center was set up, and regular work sessions began.
Since the pump was below ground, and the mill was gone, the plan was to move an old barn over it. A 100-year-old barn was brought from the nearby Goodwood estate. It was put over the pump to protect it and to serve as a visitor center.
By early 1980, the first part of the restoration was done. On March 16, the mill wheel ran again for the first time after being fixed. Two months later, the wheel, pump, and a fountain were all working together. On July 4, 1980, Lord Egremont officially started the Beam Pump. Two days later, the first public Open Day was held.
Today, the pump still supplies a fountain outside the visitor center. It can still deliver a "hogshead a minute"!
Visiting Coultershaw
The museum is open to the public on the first and third Sundays and all bank holiday Mondays from April to September. Besides the beam pump, you can see other types of pumps, like hydraulic ram pumps and hand pumps. Visitors can also explore the mill pond, the old navigation pool, and the former stables for the canal horses.
The River Rother at Coultershaw is a popular spot for fishing. It has many chub and barbel fish.
New Developments at Coultershaw
In July 2012, Lord Egremont officially turned on a new Archimedes' screw water turbine. This turbine was installed in the old corn mill's wheel pit. It generates "green" electricity and is believed to be the first of its kind in southeast England. The six-ton screw can produce 65,000 kWh of electricity each year. This power is sent to the National Grid.
The Coultershaw Trust continues to improve the site for visitors. In July 2013, a new boardwalk and footbridge were completed. These cross the river and the old navigation, making more of the site accessible. The unused lock has been blocked off, and a footpath has been laid inside the lock chamber. This lets visitors walk through and see the walls and old gate fittings. In December 2013, the boardwalk was badly damaged by very heavy flooding on the River Rother.
Images for kids
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The Coultershaw Beam Pump fountain pump output on a working day
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Coultershaw Mill, 1906
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The former mill pond at Coultershaw with the site of the wharves to the rear (September 2009)
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River Rother at Coultershaw in flood. The near bridge is that for the lock cut of the derelict Rother Navigation, but it has been lowered. Immediately above the bridge, out of sight, is what is left of the lock. (February 2011)
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Sorocold's water wheel on the River Thames
