Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum of Steam Power & Land Drainage |
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Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Westonzoyland |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°05′27″N 2°56′40″W / 51.090928°N 2.944328°W |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name | Westonzoyland Engine Trust Old Pumping Station at NGR ST3396232827 |
| Designated | 24 June 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1174295 |
| Completed | 1861 |
The Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum is a cool place in Westonzoyland, Somerset, England. It's an industrial heritage museum that shows off amazing steam-powered machines and how they helped drain the land. This old building is so special, it's listed as a Grade II* historic site!
The museum is inside a pumping station built way back in 1830. This was the first of many such stations built on the Somerset Levels, an area that often floods. The main star of the museum is a huge 1861 Easton and Amos steam engine and pump. It's the only one of its kind still in its original spot and still working! The museum, run by a charity, also fixes up and displays many other old steam engines and pumps. A special Marshall portable boiler makes the steam for the machines that move. There's even a small train called the Westonzoyland Light Railway, which is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway. It runs along the site and helps carry wood for the boiler.
Contents
How the Land Was Drained
The Somerset Levels are low-lying lands, some of which are even below sea level. This means they get flooded easily! For hundreds of years, people tried to control the water. Records show that drainage efforts began as early as the 13th century. Monasteries like Glastonbury Abbey played a big part in these early drainage projects.
Over time, more and more land was reclaimed from the water. By 1500, a lot of land was still flooding, but people kept working on it. In the 17th century, there were big plans to drain a huge area called Sedgemoor. However, these plans faced problems and were delayed by wars.
For a long time, people didn't use pumps to move water. This was probably because the early steam engines used a lot of coal and were too expensive. It's also a mystery why they didn't use windmills, which were common in other low-lying areas like the Fens.
The First Pumping Station
The very first machine-powered pumping station on the Somerset Levels was built in 1830. It was designed to drain the land around Westonzoyland, Middlezoy, and Othery. This station was a big success, leading to more drainage systems and pumping stations being built.
The original pump at Westonzoyland used a beam engine and a scoop wheel, which was like a water wheel running backward. But after 25 years, there was a problem: the land had sunk as it dried out! This made it hard for the pump to move the water. So, in 1861, a much better pump was installed: the Easton and Amos pump.
This new pump lifted water from the local drainage channels, called rhynes (pronounced 'reens'), into the River Parrett. The pump worked until 1951. By then, the local drainage system had changed, and the pump could no longer reach the water. Also, the riverbank of the Parrett had been raised by about 8 feet, blocking the pump's exit. In 1951, a new diesel pump was put in a nearby building, and the old steam pump was no longer needed.
The pumping station building itself is made of brick with a special roof and a tall chimney, standing 71 feet high! A small house was added next to it in the 1860s for the person who looked after the station. The building is now a Grade II* listed building because it's the only one left with its original engine still working.
Next to the house is a long building that holds a 1914 Lancashire boiler. This boiler made the steam for the engine. There's also a forge nearby, where the station keeper would have made his own tools.
Bringing it Back to Life
In 1976, some people from the Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society started working to fix up the old pumping station. A charity called the Westonzoyland Engine Trust was formed in 1980, and they bought the site in 1990. They have worked hard to make the engine house strong again and rebuild parts of the pump house and chimney. They even built a new exhibition hall!
For a long time, the station keeper's cottage was closed to visitors. But now, two rooms on the ground floor are open! The living room is set up to look like it did in the 1930s or 1940s. The old kitchen area has displays of smaller items from the museum's collection.
What You Can See at the Museum
At one end of the museum site is the pump house. This is where you'll find the amazing 1861 Easton and Amos engine. It's a special type of engine that drives a centrifugal pump. A similar engine was shown at a huge event called The Great Exhibition in 1851. It could lift 100 tons of water every minute! The engine used to get its power from Cornish boilers, but these were replaced in 1914 with a Lancashire boiler.
Besides the main Easton and Amos pump, the museum has gathered a collection of other steam and diesel engines. Many of these engines have a connection to the local area or were used for pumping water. The museum often has "steam days" where you can see these machines working!
The oldest item is from the early 1800s, and there are many Victorian engines and even some from the 20th century. These machines are displayed in different buildings and areas around the museum. Most of them are in working order, but some are still waiting to be fixed up.
The steam for the working exhibits comes from an old Marshall portable boiler. It was built in 1938 and used to be a backup steam generator for a water company. It was later given to the museum and fixed up. This boiler provides steam to power the other machines. It even has two cool whistles from old coal mines in Wales!
In the outdoor area, you can also see a waterwheel pump unit and other pumps. Inside, there are engines from different makers like Belliss and Morcom, Robey & Co., and Easton and Johnson. You can also see horizontal engines, including one from Holt's Brewery and another from a brickworks.
Other interesting things to see include small steam turbines, a steam-powered milk bottle washer, and a winch used to move railway wagons. There's even a working Crossley diesel engine from 1935.
The Westonzoyland Light Railway
The Westonzoyland Light Railway is a short 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway that runs next to the pumping station. It was built after the pumping station closed to help move heavy machines around the site. Today, it's used to carry wood from the woodpile to the boiler.
The railway uses a Simplex diesel locomotive, built in 1968, and a 1949 Lister rail-truck. You can also see a steam winch that shows how trucks would have been moved up a slope in old goods yards.
See also
- Association for Industrial Archaeology
- Industrial archaeology
