Chris Pattison has been at it again. You’ll remember Chris has been the driving force behind much of the South Staffordshire Waterworks material in the local online community at the moment – myself, Ian Pell, Dave More and Kate Cardigan from Lichfield Lore have all benefited from Chris’s generosity of time and spirit.
Yesterday, Chris posted the following image of a lost pumping station in Lichfield, on the Walsall Road, in the ‘You’re Probably form Lichfield if…’ Facebook group. I was so interested in it I asked permission to post it here. Chris generously agreed.
A fascinating, church-like pumping station was in use up until 1930 near the Walsall Road south of Lichfield. Image kindly supplied by Chris Pattison by courtesy of South Staffordshire Water Archives.
The pumping station and adjacent public baths stood where today, Christchurch Lane meets the Walsall Road, just on the bend northwest of Bowling Green Island.
Chris had this to say about the building:
Here’s a 1931 photo of the Lichfield Conduit Lands Pumping Station which stood next to the baths at the city end of Walsall Road. Behind is the terrace of houses (still there) which are on the northern side of Walsall Road just before the junction with Christchurch Lane. Interestingly one of these houses (number 48 I think) was a shop. The pumping station was abandoned in 1930 when the well was found to be polluted. But I’m not sure when it was demolished.
Chris has asked me to point out that this was a Lichfield Conduit Lands facility, not South Staffordshire Water. My vague conjecture is that it looks so beautifully like a church because the CLT were ecclesiastically based (I believe), and because church architects knew about tall buildings and construction to cost.
I may, of course, be utterly wrong about both those assertions, feel free to correct me. own the hatch…
Unable to bring anything else to this party, I trolled the mapping record.
1884 1:2,500 map of south west Lichfied, showing the pumping station bottom left. There’s an interesting reference here to ‘Militia Barracks’ over by the railway, to the right. I note also the Cattle Market – about where Beacon Park is today – is unusually a long way from the railway station. Click for a larger version.
1902 1:2,500 map of south west Lichfied, showing the pumping station bottom left. 18 years later, the pumping station is still extant, obviously. But the Militia Barracks is now ‘old’ and an Archery Ground has appeared. Lots on here if one looks closely – the better of the two maps. Click for a larger version.
Thanks to Chris for shining a light on something most of us (me included), knew nothing about previously. This just shows the power of researching and discussing history in the online community. My thanks, as ever, are extended to all involved, but particularly Chris.
As ever, comments, heckling or corrections? Comment here or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers.