| Papplewick
Pumping Station is an easy six miles journey by car and lies
just to the North of Rise Park. It is well worth a visit – especially
on one of their regular Steaming Days
It is claimed to
be
Britain
's finest Victorian Water Works and it is the only one in the
Midlands
to be preserved as a complete working water pumping station. It was
built between 1882 and1884 to supplement the water supply for the
growing city of
Nottingham
.
The Victorians
designers and engineers spared no expense in constructing the buildings,
with their elaborate brickwork, magnificently decorated ornamental
columns, leaded - light windows, iron staircases etc. Craftsmanship that
was only seen, in its working time, by the employees - the station not
having being built for visitors or tourists!! |
The
main building houses two massive beam pumping engines,
thought to be the last ones built by the famous firm of James Watt
& Co.
These two 140hp. Engines lifted water from the 200 foot deep well, dug
into the sandstone layer - and pumped the water into the reservoir that
supplied Nottingham.
These beams engines worked for 85 years and ceased regular operation in
1969, when they were replaced by electric pumps, thus saving the
manpower required to stoke three of the 6
Lancashire
boilers that feed steam to the two beam engines.
The
Linby Colliery Winding Engine and the Stanton Triple
Expansion Engine can also be found in an excellent state of preservation
on the site |
The
Pumping Station is in a well landscaped Park Setting, with a Picnic Area
and car parking opposite the main gates (steaming days only, Static
Sundays - onsite parking).
There is a Shop with small Café & toilets - open on Steaming
Days |
A
preservation group took over the upkeep of the station in
1974 and Papplewick was opened to allow the public a year later.
|
| Miniature
steam train rides around the gardens will entertain the
children on steaming weekends |
Model
boats, yachts and steam boats are sailed on the ornamental
cooling pond (with fountain) on most Sundays by Association members |
The
Pumping Station is generally open for viewing on Sunday afternoons and
the engines are "In Steam" on Bank Holidays and some weekends
There is a
small admission charge, and full details of this, and opening times, can
be found on their own web site (address
below) or by checking adverts in the local press.
www.papplewickpumpingstation.org.uk
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