Papplewick Pumping Station

With brass polished and a good head of steam Papplewick's pumping station is a lasting legacy to Mariott Ogle Tarbotton.

Bev Smith visits the historic pumping station at Papplewick in Nottinghamshire. Designed to supply water to the city of Nottingham and equipped with two huge James Watt beam engines, reputed to be the last ever built by the company, the building is a shrine to Victorian engineering prowess. The lavish use of stained glass and decoration is even more surprising when we learn that, during its life, the building was only ever seen by employees of the city's water company.

Mariott Ogle Tarbotton was actually the borough engineer for Nottingham from 1859, which is a few years earlier than Bev Smith states in his report for ATV Today. According to Tarbotton's obituary he was taken ill whilst at work in 1887 and died shortly afterwards, with the pressure of his work suggested as a contributing factor. The pumping station at Papplewick was opened in 1884 and was in continuous use until 1969. Following restoration it continues to be steamed and enjoyed on special occasions. Another of Tarbotton's enduring legacies is Nottingham's Trent Bridge which was opened in 1871.