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| View of the tops of the two cylinders and connecting
links to the beams (photograph © Martine
Hamilton Knight). |
Standing Buildings
Papplewick Pumping Station has a handsome assemblage of late nineteenth
century structures and one very new reproduction. The site is approached
by a walled perimeter leading to a gated entrance. Entry for visitors
is by the Superintendent’s house, a substantial Victorian villa. The
main building comprises of the Boiler House and the Beam Engine House.
At the rear is the newly constructed Coal Shed. The original building
used to be served by horse and cart in the days before modern tipper
lorries. Other buildings include a smithy, various workshops and staff
accommodation. Two other modern buildings house the Linby Winding Engine
(another steam powered engine shed at the former nearby Linby Colliery)
and a supplementary boiler house (needed to provide extra steam) with
adjacent amenity block (refreshments) and a dedicated educational discovery
room. Papplewick Pumping Station has a special relationship with the
Linby cum Papplewick school and special programmes have been devised
to support the National Curriculum.
The grounds have been restored and replanted and the central feature
is the Cooling Pond, newly restocked with carp and other fish. To the
west of the site lies the former brick built reservoir taken out of service
early in the last century, following subsidence. Work is on-going to
make this spectacular structure accessible to the public once more.
The site is a scheduled Ancient Monument and the key buildings are listed
Grade II. |