Dave Moore, late of this parish and tireless campaigner for all things local and historical is doing something really interesting for his Save Sandfields Pumping Statio Camapaign, and  taking a really unique approach.

The above film is a preview of a longer one in the making, and points out that Sandfields, although located on the southern edge of Lichfield, was a key force in supporting the growth and health of the Black Country further south. The provision of clean water, as Dave points out, prevented the spread of disease and helped our towns safely reach higher population densities.

Sandfields fed the reservoirs of the Black Country via a huge cast iron main that ran along the railway through Brownhills. We’ve covered that quite a bit here, and the main remained in use until past the middle of the last century.

Please check out the history of this almost forgotten gem, join Dave’s Facebook Group, attend the meetings or just help by sharing what you know of this fascinating building.

If you feel you can help, please comment here and I’ll hook you up with Dave, or send me an email at BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot Com. Cheers.

The engine is wonderful. I saw it in 2001, and it really is a gem. Image from Dave Moore’s Flickr photo stream.