Survey Data
Reg No
15318008
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social, Technical
Original Use
Water pump
Date
1870 - 1900
Coordinates
234144, 244023
Date Recorded
28/09/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding cast-iron water pump, erected c.1885, comprising a banded cylindrical shaft with fluted head having fluted spout, ‘cow tail’ curvilinear handle, and a fluted ogee-dome cap over. Set on concrete plinth and surrounded by cast and wrought-iron railings. Located to the north side of Castletown Geoghegan.
Appraisal
A typical late nineteenth-century water pump, of a standard design that is encountered throughout rural Westmeath. The importance of this particular example is enhanced by the survival of the surrounding iron railings, which give this water pump a strong presence in the streetscape of Castletown Geoghegan. Water pumps played an important social role in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries by providing a communal water source before the development of mains water supply. This cast-iron pump now serves as an attractive piece of street furniture, aesthetically enhancing the streetscape.