Abbey Pumping Station
 Abbey Pumping Station, Leicester Museum of Science and Technology | |
.svg)  Abbey Pumping Station Location of the Museum in Leicester | |
| Established | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Location | Leicester, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°39′18″N 1°07′50″W / 52.6550°N 1.1306°W |
| Type | Science and Technology Museum |
| Key holdings | Steam engines, 'interactive toilets', steam shovel, buses |
| Architect | Stockdale Harrison |
| Website | abbey-pumping-station |
The Abbey Pumping Station is a museum of science and technology in Leicester, England, on Corporation Road, next to the National Space Centre. With four working steam-powered beam engines from its time as a sewage pumping station, it also houses exhibits for transport, public health, light and optics, toys and civil engineering.
Sewage pumping station
The building was constructed in 1891 by
Museum
In 1972 the building re-opened as a museum of science and technology, run by Leicestershire Museums.[8] The huge beam engines were retained intact, and were gradually restored to full working order. It is one of a number of historic pumping stations which have been preserved. Leicester City Council became a unitary authority in 1997 and the Abbey Pumping Station is one of the museums that is within their jurisdiction.[8]
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Building viewed from Northeast -
Abbey Pumping Station entrance -
One of the educational displays -
Beam engines
Displays
The steam engines (see below) which drive the sewage pumps can be seen. In addition, there is combination of informative educational displays (mainly about water and sewage), an old-fashioned film theatre, and collections of artifacts and pictures ranging from domestic appliances to trams. An eclectic collection of larger items of industrial archeology is in the grounds. This includes a narrow gauge railway and some transport items.
Beam engines
The four steam engines were built in Leicester by Gimson and Company and today are rare examples of Woolf compound rotative beam engines. At the time these engines were built they were considered an old-fashioned but very well-established design. The engines are large examples. The cylinders are 30 inches (76 cm) x 69.5 inches (177 cm) and 48 inches (120 cm) x 102 inches (260 cm). The cast-iron flywheels are 21 feet (6.4 m) diameter and the beams are of plain steel plate construction and 28 feet (8.5 m) long. The engines are of 200 indicated horsepower each.[9]
These engines are rated at 200 hp, at 12–19 rpm, of which they pumped 208,000 imperial gallons of sewage an hour (263 L/s).
All four engines have been restored back to working condition by a team of volunteers: the Leicester Museums Technology Association. It is the only engine house in the world where you can see four working examples of the same beam engine in one building.[8]
Current projects in the engine house are the ongoing maintenance of the latest restored engine, No.1 (restored over a period of 4 years by the volunteers).
Museum collections
The Pumping Station is normally open Daily from 11am - 4:30pm. Engines can be seen in steam at various steam days along with other steam and early internal combustion exhibits.
Transport collection
The Museum has a
There is also a collection of vintage road vehicles which are operated on selected days. Exhibits include: several
- Buses
- 1939 Leicester City Transport: AEC Renown 0664 CBC 921. Fully restored and operational.
- 1958 Delaine Coaches: Leyland Tiger Cub PSUC1/2 MTL 750. Fully restored and operational.
- 1958 Leicester City Transport: Leyland TitanPD3/1 TBC 164. Fully restored and operational.
See also
- Gimson and Company
- Cambridge Museum of Technology
- Prickwillow Museum
- Stretham Old Engine
- Anson Engine Museum
- Nottingham Industrial Museum
References
- ^ "Abbey Pumping Station". leicester.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ a b VCH 'The City of Leicester: Social and administrative history since 1835', in A History of the County of Leicester: Volume 4, the City of Leicester, ed. R A McKinley (London, 1958), pp. 251-302 VCH/leics/vol4, accessed 2 November 2015
- ^ "Local Government Board Inquiry at Leicester". Leicester Chronicle. 4 June 1898. Retrieved 18 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Committee's Recommendations". Leicester Chronicle. 27 September 1913. Retrieved 18 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Soar and Storm Sewage: Scheme Unanimously Adopted". Leicester Chronicle. 2 November 1912. Retrieved 18 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Close Estimate!". Leicester Daily Mercury. 30 June 1939. Retrieved 18 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Abbey Pumping Station - Exhibits". Leicester Museum of Science and Technology. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Roger Caunt, 2011, Leicester Citizen, March 2011 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Leicester Civic Society.
- ^ Chris Allen, 2011, Beam Engines in the UK. www.geograph.org.uk 2#abbey-pumping-station-leicester, accessed 5 November 2015
External links
- Museum web page
- Steam Toys in Action – annual event held at the museum in January/February, organised by the museum volunteers
