Survey Data
Reg No
12324002
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Technical
Original Use
Water pump
Date
1865 - 1885
Coordinates
270829, 134099
Date Recorded
17/05/2004
Date Updated
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Description
Freestanding cast-iron waterpump, c.1875, comprising banded cylindrical shaft with spout having foliate motif, moulded necking supporting fluted head having curvilinear 'cow tail' handle, and fluted ogee-dome capping having finial. Now disused. Set in square at junction of three roads with mass-concrete trough, c.1925.
Appraisal
An appealing, if discreet feature in the streetscape representing an important early-surviving artefact in mass-produced cast-iron ware. Raised elements identify the artistic design quality of the piece while the curvilinear 'cow tail' handle in particular is an elegant feature of the composition. However, conceived primarily as a functional object the waterpump remains of particular importance as evidence of the mechanisms installed for the provision of water from a local source in the period before the development of mains systems.