Western Pumping Station
1860s: The main line of the sewer forming the Metropolitan Board of Works's western division drainage scheme, about 3.25 miles in length, ran from Chiswick-mall, passed close to the river and then along the Fulham Road and Walham Green, to Cremorne Gardens. Initially, the sewage was lifted by a temporary pumping station at this point.
1875 The line was later extended to the permanent pumping station near the Grosvenor Canal, the Western Pumping Station.
Bazalgette’s sewer was too high to pass under the nearby Grosvenor Canal, and the Western Pumping Station lifts the wastewater to around 18 feet, where gravity keeps the flow strong enough that the brick sewer chamber is self-cleaning.
Four high-pressure condensing beam-engines, developing 360 hp in total raised sewage and storm water by 18 feet (5.5 m) from a low level sewer, to pump it to the Abbey Mills station at Barking. The station could pump 55 million gallons per day, and a backup non-condensing 120 HP engine was provided in case of failure of any of the main engines.[1]
From 1937 the pumping duty was taken over by four 600-horsepower W. H. Allen, Sons and Co diesel engines, and three pumps driven by electric motors to lift flows during dry weather.[2]. Three of the diesel engines remain in service.
The 172 ft chimney is now used as a sewer vent.
If the sewer downstream from Western was unable to take the flow pumped by the engines, wastewater was released into the Thames. This will no longer be the case when the 'Super Sewer' - the Thames Tideway Tunnel - is completed.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] Edward Walford, 'Pimlico', in Old and New London: Volume 5 (London, 1878), pp. 39-49. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol5/pp39-49 [accessed 26 September 2023]
- ↑ [2] Thames Water: Western Pumping Station
- The Engineer 1866/01/12