Pewsey is a pretty village in the rolling Wiltshire countryside which happens to have a lot of old water pumps.
Most of these were installed in the early 1900s, before mains water and electricity arrived in 1920.
Photos are phone.
Starting with a roadside one, the footprint on maps suggests that it was originally mechanised although now it’s just a garden ornament.
Hayward Tyler is a venerable firm (1815) which still makes pumps - there are some more impressive examples in the pump house at Apethorpe.
Next an ancient-looking little water wheel pump of unknown make, fed by a collection tank and pipe in a nearby stream.
This has a single vertical pump cylinder, with a counterweight on the forked connecting rod to equalise the load on the wheel.
Nearby is one of three hydraulic rams shown in the area, only two of which were still there.
The other ram is another Blake, at the end of a former watercress bed - I had to do a bit clearing up since rubbish had been dumped on top of it.
Next to the ram is a water tank and an object that looks familiar but I can’t place - maybe a filter.
The final one is the oldest structure shown on maps, appearing by 1866, but contains the most recent equipment.
Inside is a Lister diesel which drove one of the larger Godwin OH series of pumps.
Some of the stuff was wrapped in polythene sheeting which I unwrapped and put back again when finished.
Dumped opposite is most of a Climax No 2 pump - these seem to vary in configuration depending on which end the piston is driven from.
Lastly a sign in the village at the site of water trough - if you’re mean to your horse God will be mean to you (this sign is not unique to Pewsey).
Most of these were installed in the early 1900s, before mains water and electricity arrived in 1920.
Photos are phone.
Starting with a roadside one, the footprint on maps suggests that it was originally mechanised although now it’s just a garden ornament.
Hayward Tyler is a venerable firm (1815) which still makes pumps - there are some more impressive examples in the pump house at Apethorpe.
Next an ancient-looking little water wheel pump of unknown make, fed by a collection tank and pipe in a nearby stream.
This has a single vertical pump cylinder, with a counterweight on the forked connecting rod to equalise the load on the wheel.
Nearby is one of three hydraulic rams shown in the area, only two of which were still there.
The other ram is another Blake, at the end of a former watercress bed - I had to do a bit clearing up since rubbish had been dumped on top of it.
Next to the ram is a water tank and an object that looks familiar but I can’t place - maybe a filter.
The final one is the oldest structure shown on maps, appearing by 1866, but contains the most recent equipment.
Inside is a Lister diesel which drove one of the larger Godwin OH series of pumps.
Some of the stuff was wrapped in polythene sheeting which I unwrapped and put back again when finished.
Dumped opposite is most of a Climax No 2 pump - these seem to vary in configuration depending on which end the piston is driven from.
Lastly a sign in the village at the site of water trough - if you’re mean to your horse God will be mean to you (this sign is not unique to Pewsey).
