Survey Data
Reg No
13303024
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Social, Technical
Original Use
Water pump
Date
1860 - 1890
Coordinates
210926, 279602
Date Recorded
12/08/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding cast-iron water pump, erected c. 1875. Comprising banded shaft with fluting to spout and decorative cap and finial. Turning handle and wheel to sides of pump. Set back from street to the east side of main street running through Newtown-Forbes.
Appraisal
Located in the centre of the village, this pump forms an important part of the historic fabric of the village. Water pumps such as this once played an important social and functional role providing a communal water source. The appearance of this functional object is enlivened in its detailing such as the banded base and fluted neck and decorative cap. Its location opposite the main gates to Castle Forbes Demesne suggests that it may have been erected by the Forbes family for the village community. The richly ornate nature of the pump consolidates this idea as features on an estate were often ornamented regardless of their function. This pump is of a rare design and is earlier (water pumps with wheel mechanisms tend to be c. 1875 –1880) than the more commonly found water pumps in Ireland.