Lichfield Waterworks Trust December Newsletter

The next public meeting of Lichfield Waterworks Trust will take place on:  Monday 13 January 2020 at 7.30pm, in the rear meeting room of the
 
The Bowling Green
Friary Road
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS13 6QJ
 
Tel: 01543 257344
 
Everyone is welcome to this social event so please feel free to join us and be a part of an amazing community heritage restoration project.

Do remember, the Bowling Green serves some great food and real ales.

Notes of the December meeting are available on this link.

Latest News

Building Lease Update:

Still no news from persimmon regarding the lease. Trustees met with Persimmon on Tuesday 5 November to discuss possible options. The trust has submitted a business plan to Persimmon that the trust believe would give Sandfields Pumping Station the best possible chance of a sustainable future. We await Persimmons reply 

Important Note:

After the visit by Historic England on 16 Jan, the site has unfortunately been placed on the Heritage At Risk Register.

This is indeed sad news to see that this magnificent piece of industrial heritage is now officially at risk of permanent loss.
 
The trust is committed to continue working with the owner, Persimmon Homes Ltd to find a sustainable solution that will bring this building and its historic contents aback into a community use.

Tonight’s Talk

Tonight’s talk is an illustrated account of the two Droitwich canals and their restoration in the 2000s by Chris Allen.
 
Chris is a retired pathologist with an almost lifelong interest in industrial archaeology, particularly stationary and marine steam engines. He has been the editor of the International Stationary Steam Engine Society’s Bulletin since 1982 and was Chairman of Claymills Pumping Engines Trust for about 25 years.
 
However, he does have wider interests in general Industrial archaeology and became interested in the Droitwich canals as a result of living alongside the Barge Canal for some 20 or so years.
 
Tonight’s talk is a result of being able to record the restoration process at reasonably close hand.





 

Stay up to Date and Share your Thoughts

We have a Friends of Sandfields Pumping Station Face Book Group Page, where you can post your photos, your memories or your thoughts and comments. Please do pop along and share, like and comment.

We also have a a webpage where you can get all the latest news, updates and details of events.

Site Report

As we all know, the teams have had a well-earned break over the holiday period. We will be back on Friday 10 January 2020 10:30am until 12:30pm.
 
Please feel free to pop in or lend a hand or just come a take a look around, and feel free to join us and be a part of an amazing community heritage restoration project.
 
As always you will be made most welcome to join us. Free tea and coffee is always available.

Archive and Historical Research team Report

Document of the Month
January 2020

South Staffordshire Water carefully and diligently documented every transaction. There documents are indeed a treasure as they give us a direct link to the past. They can act as a lens that assists us understanding how things were.
 
We have some of the most beautifully illustrated invoices and letterheads. These documents not only tell the story of how traders portrayed themselves, but the used of language in the contents is remarkably revelling.
 
Documents like this can be astonishingly powerful and revealing, creating history and helping people acquire a sense of the past.


We feel privileged here at Sandfields because it is one of the rare industrial building that still holds a comprehensive archive of material form the past. The archive record held at Sandfields Pumping Station is an invaluable record and a window to the day to day activity of operating a waterworks. Here we see evidence of working practices and skills, now lost.

If you hold an interest in history or are just curious about the past and want to learn more, then why not drop by for tea.

Building Renovation Team Report

Lichfield Waterworks Trust are delighted to welcome apprentices from Dudley technical college electrical apprentices to Sandfields Pumping Station. This new and exciting joint venture will be an opportunity for students to work with the trust’s technical teams, to learn new skills in the workplace renovating one of the country’s most iconic grade II* listed buildings.


 
The trust says this is a fantastic opportunity for the students that showcases how our industrial heritage can offer educational opportunities for young people that will bring benefits and enjoyment to the whole community.

Health and Safety Report

We are pleased to say that we have had another accident free month. A very big thank you to everyone for embracing a heath and safety culture.

We never stand still with health and Safety, good safety is no accident.

We will be undertaking more training in the new year, so watch this space.

Electrical Installation Team Report

The electrical team are doing some sterling work. They have been incredibly busy removing damaged and water logged cables in readiness for the new installation. We are really pleased to announce that we will be working with both Dudley and Wolverhampton Technical College to provide on site training to students and an opportunity for students to work along side professionals.

Donations

With over 2,500 volunteer working hours, (equates to more than two full time equivalents) and over £14,000 spent in cleaning equipment, materials and scaffold over the last two years. This month has seen quite a drain on our bank balance with invoices for the viability study and scaffolding landing on the desk. Looking at the engine now, as opposed to how it looked in 2016, the volunteers have made some remarkable progress.


 
We will also always invest in our people and we are planning further training days soon. All these costs soon mount up, so if you can donate, then please visit our donation page here.
 
Any amount is helpful, is well appreciated and will be carefully spent preserving our industrial past for our future generations, developing skills for our people and making our community a better place
 
Please make cheques payable to; Lichfield Waterworks Trust, and send to our address:
 
22 Walsall Road
Lichfield
WS13 8AB

Membership

We would like this opportunity to welcome a few new members.

Thank you for joining the Lichfield Waterworks Trust. We hope you will enjoy your membership and become part of a very exciting heritage project that will benefit the people, the place and the community.

It would really help us if we develop and grow our membership. If you are not already a member and would you like to be a part of one of the region’s most exciting heritage projects then please, join us now by filling in Membership Application Form by going to our membership page here. It is free to join and be a part of this incredibly exciting project.