Papplewick Pumping Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Papplewick Pumping Station |
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The engine house
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| Type | Water supply pumping station |
| Location | Papplewick |
| OS grid reference | SK 58274 52136 |
| Area | Nottinghamshire |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architect | Marriott Ogle Tarbotton |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
| Governing body | Papplewick Pumping Station Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Engine House, Boiler House and Workshop at Papplewick Pumping Station | |
| Designated | 18 October 1971 |
| Reference no. | 1265301 |
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Papplewick Pumping Station is a historic site in Nottinghamshire, England. It's about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the village of Papplewick. This amazing place was built between 1881 and 1884. Its main job was to pump clean drinking water to the city of Nottingham.
The station used two huge steam-powered engines. These engines were kept in beautiful buildings designed in the Gothic Revival style. The pumping station worked until 1969. After that, electric pumps took over.
In 1974, a group called the Papplewick Pumping Station Trust was formed. They wanted to save the site and turn it into a museum. Soon, they decided to fix the old engines and make them work again. Today, both giant engines are steamed several times a year for visitors. The site also has other cool engines to see.
Contents
Why Nottingham Needed Clean Water
Back in 1807, a very important engineer named Thomas Hawksley was born near Nottingham. He became a pioneer in public water systems. In 1830, he helped build a waterworks and pumping station at Trent Bridge. He created the first system where water was always under pressure. This meant people could get water from their taps any time.
In the 1850s, people realized that dirty water caused diseases like cholera and typhoid. So, there was a big need for clean, filtered water. New pumping stations were built further and further north of the city. Papplewick Pumping Station was one of the last and most important ones. It was built where the ground naturally filters the water.
Building the Pumping Station
Marriott Ogle Tarbotton was the engineer for Nottingham's water system. He decided to dig two wells at Papplewick to get more water. He designed the fancy pump house that would hold the huge engines. These engines were made by James Watt & Co. of Birmingham.
The engines got their power from six large boilers. Boilers 1 and 6 were put in first, in 1881. They helped dig the test well. Once Tarbotton knew there was enough water, the other boilers were added in 1883. Usually, three boilers would be working at a time.
How the Giant Engines Worked
The boilers were special. They were about 29 feet (8.8 m) long and 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. They held a lot of water, about 3,200 gallons (14,500 L). These boilers made steam at 50 pounds per square inch (3.4 bar) of pressure. This steam pushed giant pistons in the engine cylinders.
Each engine had a huge flywheel, 20 feet (6.1 m) across, weighing 24 tons. The giant beams, weighing 13 tons and 25 feet (7.6 m) long, moved up and down. They drove pumps that lifted water from wells 200 feet (61 m) deep. Each pump could lift 1.5 million gallons (6.8 million L) of water every day!
The buildings themselves are beautiful. They are built in the Gothic Revival style. Inside, the main engine house has amazing cast iron details and stained glass windows. The station cost about £55,000 to build.
The water was pumped uphill to a large covered reservoir. This reservoir was built in 1880. However, a crack was found in 1906, and it was no longer used. In 1956, a new reservoir was built. The old steam pumps worked until 1969. Then, modern electric pumps took over.
Bringing the Station Back to Life
After the pumping station stopped working, people worried it might fall apart. So, in 1974, the Papplewick Pumping Station Trust was formed. They wanted to save the site and open it as a museum. Volunteers started working to clean and repair everything.
Soon, the idea came up to get the engines working again. In 1975, one boiler was made safe to use. The cooling pond, which held water for the engines, had to be cleaned. On September 20, steam was finally raised. The next day, one of the giant engines ran again! The second engine was fixed later.
Papplewick Pumping Station is special. It's the only pumping station in the Midlands that has been fully preserved and is still in working order. It officially reopened on June 8, 2005.
Visiting the Pumping Station Museum
Today, Papplewick Pumping Station is open to the public as a museum. The Trust works hard to keep the site running. They are registered with the Charity Commissioners. This means they meet high standards for museums.
The museum first opened to the public on April 15, 1976. New visitor facilities, like a cafe and toilets, were built in 1991. In 2002, the Trust received a large grant of £1.6 million. This money helped restore the buildings even more. The restoration work was so good that it won an award!
Other Amazing Engines to See
Besides the original beam engines, the museum has other historic engines. One is a colliery winding engine from Linby Colliery, a nearby coal mine. It was built in 1922 and used to lift miners and coal. It's the only working steam-powered winding engine in Britain!
There's also a large triple expansion engine. It was made in 1897 and used to provide hydraulic power at a factory. Volunteers carefully took it apart and rebuilt it at the museum. It ran for the first time in its new home in 1998.
The museum also has two engines from the Player's Tobacco Factory. They are assembled but not yet working. You can also see a single-cylinder oil engine. This engine used to power the lights at a cinema! The beautiful grounds around the station are also listed as a historic park.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Nottinghamshire
- Listed buildings in Papplewick
- Bestwood Pumping Station
- Boughton Pumping Station
- Mill Meece Pumping Station
- Prickwillow Museum
- Stretham Old Engine
- Cambridge Museum of Technology
- Anson Engine Museum
- Crossness Pumping Station
