Coleham Pumping Station is a historical pumping station

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...

 in Coleham

Coleham

Coleham is a district of the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is located just south, over the River Severn, from Shrewsbury town centre....

, Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

History

The sewage pumping station was built at the end of the 19th century as part of a major upgrading of Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

's sewerage

Sanitary sewer

A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...

 system. Two massive steam-driven beam engine

Beam engine

A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...

s were built by Renshaw's

William Robert Renshaw

William Robert Renshaw was an English industrialist and foundryman.Renshaw was born to an agricultural family in Handforth in the county of Cheshire, England...

 of Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...

 during 1897-1898; and a brick building, resembling a Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 chapel in style, was constructed in 1900 to house them. The pumping station was opened by the mayoress of Shrewsbury in 1901.

The steam-powered pumps were used until 1970, when new electric pumps were brought in to use.

The ownership of the pumping station, including the building, engines and grounds, was transferred to Shrewsbury and Atcham

Shrewsbury and Atcham

Shrewsbury and Atcham was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England.Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflection of the incorporation into the borough of the former...

 Borough Council in 1974. It is now a museum run by Shrewsbury Museum Services.

Preservation

The Shrewsbury Steam Trust was founded in 1992 with the aim of restoring the steam engines and the two coal-fired Cornish boilers that provided the steam.

One boiler

Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

was commissioned in 2002, allowing the Society to hold 'steam-up' days.

Restoration of the second beam engine was completed on 27 September 2004, when it was operated for the first time in the 34 years since it was retired.

Both steam engines may be seen running together on the several Open Days that are held at the museum each year.

External links

• Shrewsbury Museum Service page – including opening times and prices
• Shrewsbury Steam Trust – Official website, including a few pictures of the engine and boiler
• IC Photography – History and photographs - including areas not accessible to the public. Opening times & prices included.