Papplewick Pumping Station

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The grounds of a pumping station, laid out in the early 1880s.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Papplewick Pumping Station (scheduled ancient monument) stands to the south of Lonsdale Lane in the parish of Papplewick, to the north of the city of Nottingham, in an area dominated by large coniferous forestry plantations. It occupies a c 3ha flat site which is enclosed by a brick boundary wall and is bounded to north, west, and south by farmland and to the east by a small country road.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES

The main entrance to Papplewick Pumping Station is via the gateway in the brick boundary wall (listed grade II) at the north-east corner of the site. A pair of cast-iron gates hang between piers with carved ashlar capitals, flanked by a pair of wicket gates. From here a straight drive runs west past the superintendent's house, which was erected in 1883 (listed grade II), and the north end of the cooling pond, then curves round to the south to arrive at the north side of the station buildings. There is secondary entrance at the southern end of the site from where a drive leads through a pair of gates and piers past the deputy's (and now the custodian's) house (1884, listed grade II).

PRINCIPAL BUILDING

The main buildings, comprising the engine house, boiler house, and workshop (all listed grade II*), together with boiler house chimney, smithy, stable, and cartshed (all listed grade II), form a complex in the north-west quarter of the site and were built to designs by the Corporation engineer, M Ogle Tarbotton, between 1881 and 1884, in a Gothic Revival style.

OTHER LAND

The gardens surrounding the station lie to the east and south-east of the buildings and consist of lawns, beds, and a large formal cooling pond. The pond, which dominates the eastern half of the site, has a central cast-iron fountain basin. A walk leads round the periphery of the pond, which is supported by a substantial embankment to north, south, and east. The path is accompanied by shrubberies which divide the pond from the broad, straight walk which runs between it and the station buildings to the west. A late C20 electrical pumping control house has been installed below the embankment on the east side of the pond.

The south-west quarter of the site is occupied by woodland planted mainly with conifers and contains a late C20 visitor's amenity centre, a boiler house, and a workshop. Beyond is the Linby Winding Engine, in full working order. This part of the site is shown as an open area on the 1920 edition of the OS 6" map.

REFERENCES

Country Life, no 21 (21 May 1992), pp 66-9

N Pevsner and E Williamson, The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire (2nd edition 1979), p 289

Papplewick Pumping Station, guidebook, (Papplewick Association 1993)

Maps

OS 6" to 1 mile: 3rd edition published 1920

Description written: May 2000

Edited: January 2002