The future of a historic Victorian water pumping station near Ravenshead has been secured.

Papplewick Pumping Station, which dates from the early 1880s, had asked for help — launching a public appeal and a JustGiving page — after the coronavirus lockdown led to the cancellation of annual visitor weekends.

On those days the pumping station — run as a charity and relying on funding from paid visits — opens its doors for the public to see its engine room and boiler room, among other features.

Now local business Lakeside, which is transforming the former Bestwood Pumping Station into a premier wedding venue and restaurant, has stepped in with a £30,000 donation.

Papplewick Pumping Station Trust runs the Victorian steam-powered freshwater pumping station, considered the most complete in England.

Built between 1882 and 1885 it helped provide fresh water to the people of Nottingham using steam powered pumps until 1969.

It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, a registered charity and an Accredited Museum.
Papplewick Pumping Station chair of trustees, John Britten, said: “This amazing donation could not have come at a more vital time for Papplewick Pumping Station.

“We had been trying to read the future of the Covid-19 situation to assess when we would be able to re-open.

“However, planning to survive without income for an indefinite period is challenging.

“This donation means we no longer have to worry about our short-term financial future.

“It’s vital the pumping station stays open — it’s one of very few, if not the only, original water pumping stations left working on an original site.”

Papplewick Pumping Station was built in the early 1880s to pump clean drinking water to the city of Nottingham.

It was designed by Thomas Hawksley and operated until 1969, when it was conserved for future generations as an award-winning museum.

Hawksley also built the nearby Bestwood Pumping Station, which operated from 1874 to 1964.

Amy Harrad and Richard Berridge, of Lakeside, said: “We were delighted to be able to step in to save the future of Papplewick Pumping Station.

“We understood the vital importance of ensuring the future of the pumping station, which has a unique place in the community.”

Papplewick Pumping Station said it was regarded as Britain’s finest working Victorian pumping station and also the most complete, retaining its original James Watt beam engines, boilers, chimney, cooling pond and unique brick vaulted underground reservoir.

It added: “It is a statement of Victorian flair, pride and commitment to public health.

“Since opening as an industrial heritage attraction in 1975 and with the unfailing support of the members of the Papplewick Association, the pumping station is steamed 16 times a year, demonstrating how the pumps raised millions of gallons of water to surface each day.

“Over 13,000 people visited in 2019 and we had hoped to beat this in 2020.”