Papplewick Pumping Station was built in the 1880s to pump fresh water in to reservoirs that then supplied the city of Nottingham. There were two beam engines and six boilers in situ to do this and they remained in use, basically unchanged, until 1969 when the site was decommissioned.
The site is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is open for tours and also has live steam days. We were there a week before the next live steam but one of the boilers was already lit as it takes a week to gently build the boiler up to pressure and heat the water to produce the steam required as a very cautious approach is taken to operations today.
The Pumping Station is typical of Victorian extravagance with much decorative detail that has no purpose outside of being ostentatious.
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Just look at the details they put in everything in those days. even a support is a piece of art. I can see that here also in old mining sites and old factories. When we have become so boring and make everything in concrete with no decoration or style at all. Thanks for sharing this.
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