CONSERVATION FUNDING

Pumping life back into the coalfield community

Philip Grover and Roy Lewis describe how a cocktail of funding

has given a new lease of life to Boughton Pumping Station,

Nottinghamshire.

The story of the decline and eventual re-use of the Blackburn Engine House at Boughton Pumping Station in many ways mirrors what has happened in a number of cases of successful re-use of historic buildings elsewhere. What is, significant however, about the Boughton case is its topicality in terms of sustainability, community involvement and partnership. The case is also of particular interest as it is an example of how conservation specialists can work effectively with a variety of other groups to achieve successful conservation and regeneration through major external funding. The Boughton case seems therefore to be very much within the spirit of government advice outlined in recent PPGs.

Background

Situated on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the North Nottinghamshire Coalfield, Boughton Pumping Station was developed in the early years of this century by the Nottingham Water Company to provide a water supply to the city from the underground sandstone aquifer. Two pumphouses were constructed, together with an associated superintendent’s house and five workers’ cottages. The superb landscaped grounds, with granite sett roadways, ornamental planting and attractive boundary walls and railings were all maintained to a meticulously high standard for most of this century.

The Blackburn Engine House, the main pumphouse, was designed in 1905 by W B Starr in a flamboyant eclectic baroque revival style and the huge brick chimney forms a distinctive local landmark. Internally the building comprised a single space, containing a massive ‘state of the art’ triple- expansion beam engine pumping water from a deep well directly below the building and supported on monumental foundations. The engine house was listed Grade II in 1974.

Obsolescence

By the 1960s, the once innovative beam engine was replaced by a much

smaller electric pump installed in an adjoining building. The original engine was scrapped leaving the Blackburn House redundant. In 1980 the Severn Trent Water Authority, was refused listed building consent to demolish the building. An appeal was withdrawn immediately prior to a public inquiry.

The 1980s saw the promotion of various proposals by the District Council to find a new use for the building including a motorcycle museum and a small factory. Attempts were, however, thwarted largely as a consequence of restrictive site conditions and access, resulting from operational use of the surrounding land and buildings by STW. At this stage the building was reasonably sound but suffering from long-term lack of maintenance.

The unpromising future for the building took a sudden turn for the worse in 1988 when mining subsidence put the sandstone substrata into tension causing massive fissuring and alarming

damage to the building and surrounding landscape. Huge cracks appeared in the Blackburn House, other smaller buildings on the site were seriously damaged and many trees were lost. From this point onwards the future of the building looked bleak.

Economic decline

The worsening local economic climate during the early 1990s made the situation appear hopeless. Having suffered the effects of coal mining subsidence, the local community was hit by the devastating and ironic news of widespread local colliery closures. Unemployment soared, leading to economic and social deprivation. The prospect of seeing a viable economic re-use for the Blackburn House looked further away than ever.

Once again, there was enormous pressure from STW to demolish the building. Inevitably it featured prominently on the District Council’s Buildings at Risk Register and the

The principal elevation of The Blackburn Engine House showing the (now debased) landscape setting.

8

Context 54 June 1997