An urgent fundraising appeal has been launched to help save Bath’s original Georgian pumping station with a 200-year-old waterwheel.
The Claverton Pumping Station | Photo © Claverton Pumping Station
The Claverton Pumping Station is at risk of never running again unless major repairs can be funded.
A JustGiving fundraising page has been launched in the hope that the important part of Bath’s history can be saved.
Situated two miles from the city centre on the Kennet and Avon Canal, Claverton Pumping Station is home to a 7-metre-wide waterwheel, built in 1813 to ensure the canal didn’t run dry.
The wheel was used to power a beam engine capable of pumping over 2 million gallons of water into the canal each day.
This water kept the canal functioning as a transport highway from Bristol and Bath to London during the Industrial Revolution.
Whilst an electric pump does the work today, the original waterwheel and pumping station is open as an attraction with hundreds of visitors each year.
A team of twenty volunteers maintain the site and help give guided tours. Architectural students also travel to witness its engineering heritage first-hand.
Earlier this year, cracks started to form on the cast iron frame, threatening its future.
Julian Stirling, Trustee of Claverton Pumping Station Trust CIO said: “Cracks in cast iron are very serious, and very hard to mend. If the damage gets any worse it could be catastrophic.
“We can’t run the waterwheel again unless we find a way to fund the repairs.
“Inspecting and repairing the cracks will cost £10,000. That is an enormous sum for a volunteer-run museum.”
Claverton Pumping Station has launched a fundraiser to raise the £10,000 needed to repair the machinery.
People can support the campaign by donating directly on the JustGiving fundraising page here.
Neil Butters, BANES Councillor for Bathavon South, has endorsed the efforts to repair the Grade I listed pumping station.
He said: “Claverton Pumping Station is a key piece of local industrial archaeology, well-known throughout the country.
“It provides an invaluable, operational example of how engineering challenges were successfully tackled centuries ago – and is kept alive by a dedicated band of volunteers.
“Its educational value will continue to increase with every year that passes. We really must save it for future generations.”
It is hoped if the funding is raised, then the waterwheel could be restored and run as early as 2024.
In the meantime, the pumping station will remain open to visitors throughout the summer from April onwards, on the second Saturday and Tuesday of each month, as well as the early May bank holiday.
Julian added: “It’s incredible that we could run the pump last year, 209 years after it started operation. It would be a tragedy if that was the last time.
“We really hope people will donate on our Just Giving page and help us pass on a piece of Bath’s engineering heritage.”
