Pump
Category
Historic Services / Water & sewage
Date
Unknown
Materials
cast and wrought iron. Brass/bronze axle bushes and crosshead slippers. Timber mounting blocks on a stone tower.
Collection
Cragside, Northumberland
NT 1232468
Summary
A historic water system comprising of a water wheel driving cast iron water pumps in a fenced enclosure. Warton Water Wheel - formerly used to pump spring water from a bespoke stone building to Warton Farm. The wheel is now an operating example of Armstrong agricultural technology, positioned 100 metres or so up stream of the Power House. It is powered by the Cragside Mine Water system piped directly from the woods above the Power House. The wheel no longer pumps water, but serves as an interpretation piece in its present position. The Warton water wheel was restored in 1987 by the British Engineerium, and reinstalled at Cragside in 1988 in the Visitor Centre courtyard. It was moved to its current location in 1997.
Full description
A historic water system comprising of an iron back shot wheel driving cast iron ram water pumps. Warton Water Wheel - originally at Warton Farm, the wheel is now positioned 100 metres or so up stream of the Power House. It is a rivetted, wrought iron, high back shot waterwheel, and the wheel has 156 blades and turns approx 6 revolutions per minute (although the supply of water to the wheel governs the speed of the wheel) producing 60lbs/in2. At Warton Farm, spring water piped from the hillside entered the pump house into a wooden header tank mounted on the wall. The pumps delivered water to the farm located on a hill 21 metres (70feet) high and 915 metre (3,000feet) from the pump house. Currently the wheel is powered by water from the Cragside Mine Water system piped directly from a manhole in the woods above the Power House. The wheel no longer pumps water, and now serves as an interpretation piece in its present position. The Warton water wheel had fallen into disrepair and was no longer in use on the farm and was removed from its historic site in 1987 to be restored by the British Engineerium at Hove in Sussex. It was reinstalled at Cragside in 1988 as a working exhibit and centre piece for the Visitor Centre courtyard. The Waterwheel was moved from the Visitor centre courtyard to its current location at Burnfoot in 1997. It now stands in a fenced enclosure, a working example of Armstrong agricultural technology with no historic context.