Sandfields Pumping Station – a great historic building with immense history and social significance – not just to Lichfield, but to the Black Country. Lichfield Discovered and local historian Dave Moore have saved this valuable asset for the community.

Sandfields Pumping Station champion and public historian extraordinaire Dave Moore has been in touch to let me know that this Thursday evening (28th April 2016) there will be a public progress meeting for the Lichfield Waterworks Trust charity, formerly the Friends of Sandfields Pumping Station group.

Its worth noting The Trust have announced that they had been successful in securing the building for the future as revealed here a few months ago.

Note the return to the usual venue – the meeting takes place at the George IV, Bore Street, Lichfield from 7:30-9pm.

Dave wrote:

The next meeting of the Lichfield Waterworks Trust will be held on Thursday, 28th April 2016 at 7.30pm, in the George lV Bore St, Lichfield.

The Lichfield Waterworks Trust is a Community Incorporated Organisation, registered with the charities commission who are fighting to save the Grade II* listed building known as Sandfields Pumping Station for the benefit of the community.

The unique 190 Hp Cornish Beam Engine and building are a magnificent monument to the lives of the people who died in the black Country during the mid-nineteenth century due to the cholera epidemics. It also celebrates the achievements of the Victorian water engineers who gave clean water to the nation.

English Heritage has designated Sandfields Pumping Station as a building that has ‘more than special interest’, hence the reason it has been listed at Grade II*

At a meeting on 23 October 2015 held at the offices of Lichfield District Council, Persimmon Homes PLC agreed that they would transfer the freehold or grant a long term lease to the Lichfield Waterworks Trust to secure the future of this building. The trust is now in an active dialogue with the owners working together to agree a licence to enter the building.

Members of LWT have worked tirelessly over the last three years, however now with this access agreement in place, the real hard work begins.

All are welcome to become involved in this challenging but rewarding project.

Excellent food and drinks are available in the bar.

Do pop over to Dave Moore’s blog and check out the history of Sandfields Pumping Station, an almost forgotten gem – the group also has a Facebook page.

Dave is, of course, one of the leading lights of Lichfield Discovered, along with Kate ‘Cardigan’ Gomez from Lichfield Lore.

It’s great to see people like Dave encourage a better attitude to our historic buildings, rather than that which we seem to have here in Walsall, where we regard heritage architecture as merely ‘fuel’.

Please do attend if you’re able, it’s sure to be enlightening and educational.