Papplewick Pumping Station

Papplewick Pumping Station, situated in open agricultural land approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) by road from the Nottinghamshire village of Papplewick, was built by Nottingham Corporation Water Department between 1881 and 1884 to pump water from the Bunter sandstone to provide drinking water to the City of Nottingham, in England. Two beam engines, supplied with steam by six Lancashire boilers, were housed in Gothic Revival buildings. Apart from changes to the boiler grates, the equipment remained in its original form until the station was decommissioned in 1969, when it was replaced by four submersible electric pumps.

A Trust was formed in 1974 to conserve the site as a static museum, but the plans soon developed to include the refurbishment and regular steaming of the engines. One of the beam engines was operated in 1975, using the only boiler that was certified to be safe at the time. Since then, the second engine has been reconditioned, and both are steamed several times a year. New visitor facilities were built in 1991, and a major restoration of the structures was completed in 2005, following a grant of £1.6 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund. As well as the beam engines, the site houses several other engines, which are also demonstrated on steam days.

Pumping station

Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.

A pumping station is, by definition, an integral part of a pumped-storage hydroelectricity installation.

Canal water supply

In countries with canal systems, pumping stations are also frequent. Because of the way the system of canal locks work, water is lost from the upper part of a canal each time a vessel passes through. Also, most lock gates are not watertight, so some water leaks from the higher levels of the canal to those lower down. Obviously, the water has to be replaced or eventually the upper levels of the canal would not hold enough water to be navigable.

Canals are usually fed by diverting water from streams and rivers into the upper parts of the canal, but if no suitable source is available, a pumping station can be used to maintain the water level. An excellent example of a canal pumping station is the Claverton Pumping Station on the Kennet and Avon Canal in southern England, United Kingdom. This pumps water from the nearby River Avon to the canal using pumps driven by a waterwheel which is powered by the river.

Papplewick

Coordinates: 53°03′00″N 1°11′00″W / 53.05°N 1.183333°W / 53.05; -1.183333

The parish of Papplewick is situated towards the west of central Nottinghamshire, to the north of the town of Hucknall. It has an area of 7.15 km². The village of Papplewick is located in the west of the parish. It is 7.5 miles (12 km) north of Nottingham and 6 miles (10 km) south of Mansfield. In 1991, there were 620 people living in the parish, occupying 255 dwellings (1991 census data). In medieval times the village marked the southern gateway to Sherwood Forest.

Papplewick has numerous community and social groups, a village hall, a pub, The Griffin's Head and an ancient church. Tourist attractions in the parish include the village conservation area, where there are 18th-century cottages and Papplewick Hall.

Papplewick Pumping Station is a nearby working museum comprising steam-powered pumping engines, cooling pond and grounds. It is situated in open agricultural land to the east of the parish, approximately 1 mile (2 km) east of the village but is 3 miles (4.8 km) distanced along the winding country lanes. Surrounding the parish are areas of woodland, which are accessible to the public by a network of footpaths.