Bracebridge Pumping Station, Worksop - September 2011

[The Littlest Jellyfish]

Back in the old days, before Lady Gaga was born and when personal jetpacks still just a crazy dream, people used to have to deposit bodily waste into devices called 'toilets'. These 'toilets' channelled the waste into big pools, where fearless workers would painstakingly remove the lumps and pour the resulting liquid back into the water supply to be reused by townsfolk for things like bathing and boiling potatoes.

Built in 1881 as part of Worksop's exciting new sewage system, Bracebridge Pumping Station used a steam driven beam engine to pump effluent to the effluent processing facility. The steam was produced from coal, brought by boat on the Chesterfield Canal from nearby Shireoaks Colliery.

It was designed in an Italian Romanesque style, with fancy cast iron columns and a spiral staircase. These apparently remain inside, but unfortunately the entrances have all been concreted up, so I had to make do with glimpses through the upper windows. Not a total fail, though, because thanks to the fact that I'm an internationally renowned contortionist, I was able to get into the chimney.

[fidget64]

What a lovely building.... O and thank goodness you are an internationally renowned contortionist, that chimney shot is awesome

[captain cave man]

another pump house ive not been to...nice shots cheers for posting.....oh any way into the main building ?...

[The Littlest Jellyfish]

any way into the main building ?...

Everything from the ground to about 5m up (that's 16ft, imperial fans) has been concreted up, so it wouldn't be easy. The right hand image in the first pair I posted - you can see the blocked up doorways at ground level, which should give you an idea of scale.

[boxerheaven]

nice pics and write up