Old Brook Pumping Station

Brook Pumping Station
Brook Pumping station, Chatham Now a museum.
Location	The Brook (road) Chatham ME2 9AQ
OS grid reference	TQ75996783
Built	1929
Owner	Medway Council
Scheduled monument
Designated	24 June 1970
Reference no.	1064241
Location of Brook Pumping Station in Kent

Brook Pumping Station, Chatham Since the 16th century there has been some form of earth dam that has cut Chatham off from the River Medway. This was originally called the Land Wall. In more recent times, it has become the river wall, part of the flood defences. The geography of the town meant that it suffered from frequent flooding and poor drainage right up until the beginning of the 20th century.

The Brook Pumping Station was built as part of a major project to sort out Chatham's drainage problems. It was opened in 1929 to lift foul water from the lowest part of the town up to the level of the main sewer at the New Road

Now listed as an ancient monument, the Pumping Station was operational right up until 1980. The machinery designed to carry out the task of keeping Chatham dry is still in full working order and on view to the public.

Built in 1929 and now listed as an ancient monument, the pumping station houses two 14 inch Campbell single cylinder diesel engines which used to drive the pumps during storms and flooding. There’s also an old Victorian printing press on which the Rochester Gazette was printed and a number of model windmills. An old Aveling and Porter road roller built by the famous Strood factory stands in the grounds. - See more at: http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/the-old-brook-pumping-station-chatham#sthash.yJL0zGh4.dpuf ref heritage open days

The Old Brook Pumping Station is managed and maintained by the 'Medway Industrial Archaeology Group' with the support of Medway Council.

The two horizontal single cylinder diesel engines that drove centrifugal pumps. There are other exhibits depicting local industry (including the big eagle on the Columbian printing press in the background)

Opening times: June to September: Saturdays, 11am-3pm October to May: first Saturday of the month, 11am-3pm

Entry is free-of charge.

1920s pumping station with two diesel engines, exhibits of local industrial equipment

ref http://www.oldbrookpumping.co.uk/ ref http://www.medway.gov.uk/leisureandculture/museums/oldbrookpumpingstation.aspx http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=893.0 http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/the-old-brook-pumping-station-chatham

compare with - Bestwood Pumping Station

The 1852 General Board of Health Survey conducted by Edward Gotto was created in response to the establishment of a Local Board of Health set up under the Public Health Act of 1848. Chatham and particularly the appraisal site suffered badly from disease and poor sanitation in the nineteenth century. The Brook ditch constituted the main flood relief and sewer of the valley. Attacks of Cholera in particular prompted work to improve the drainage and sewerage of the town. The survey shows the Brook ditch (also known as the Old Middle Sewer) extending from Bonny’s Alley through Full- A- Love’s- Alley (which corresponds to the south eastern extent of the appraisal site) passing beneath Fair Row and continuing towards Military Road. The ditch is shown as open in large sections and culverted in the areas in which it passes beneath roads. The culvert under Military Road joins with another, and empties into the river at Holborn Wharf. The area has seen some development since the 1840’s Tithe survey. George Street, orientated off Fair Row has been constructed for example. However, the open plots of pasture land shown on the Tithe remain largely unchanged, and are indicated to consist of marshy ground. Open ditches are recorded draining the fields. Culverts and a series of connecting drains are shown collecting storm waters from the street gutters into catch pits and piped under ground to the sewer (Presnail, 1967, 239). A brick culvert or sewer is also shown running along the south west side of the length of The Brook road. The 1852 survey also includes a later addition, added to the drawing in pen, showing the location of a new ‘High Level Sewer’. This skirts the appraisal site to the south and south west, and discharging into the old middle sewer at Holborn Wharf (Fig. 13). 6.9 The Ordnance Survey 25” first edition map of 1868 shows that the

The Brook Low Level Pumping Station (Monument number ME321) is a Scheduled Monument, and as such is protected under part 1 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas act 1979. Prior consent from the Secretary of State will be required for all work affecting the monument. It is also classified as a Zone 1 Urban Archaeological Zone, which requires that a detailed archaeological assessment of the remains and a mitigation strategy setting out how the remains will be protected be formulated. It is recommended that this is undertaken prior to the formulation of a detailed design for the development to allow integration of the results within the design process. The archaeological and historic integrity of Zone 1 sites should be protected and if possible enhanced (Kent Historic Towns Survey, 2003, 21). Much of the early 20th century setting of the Pumping Station has already been removed to make way for more recent development and thus it is important to understand and protect what remains. http://archaeologyse.co.uk/ReportLibrary/2006/2006-2565-Pentagon-Centre-Chatham-DBA.pdf

Medway Industrial Archaeology Group are now pleased to announce that following extensive restoration and improvement work by Rochester upon Medway Borough Council, the pumping station will be open to the general public on Saturday mornings (09.20-13.30) throughout the year. The station, which was built as a sewage and storm-water pumping station using both electrical and diesel pumps, was opened with a burst of civic pride in September 1929 and has remained essentially as built. It was scheduled as an ancient monument and after being disconnected from the main drainage system was sold by the Southern Water Authority to the Council (for £1). It is now an outstation of the Rochester Guildhall Museum. There are no permanent staff and all routine maintenance and manning on open days is being carried out by HIAC volunteers (offers of assistance always welcome!). A formal 'opening day' will take place later this year, meanwhile the station has occasionally to do a real job of work, particularly during wet weather and it is intended to run the main engines during public opening hours. ref http://www.glias.org.uk/news/093news.html