50°47′20″N 1°02′45″W / 50.7889°N 1.0457°W / 50.7889; -1.0457

Eastney Beam Engine House

Eastney Beam Engine House is a Grade II -listed[1] Victorian engine house in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Dating from 1887, it contains two 150 hp James Watt & Co. beam engines.[2] The pumps were built as part of a plan to improve Portsmouth's sewage system.[3] The other element of the plan was large holding tanks which held the sewage until the pumps could empty them into the ebb tide. The pumps have since been superseded by advancing technology but have been restored (in 1980).[1] The restoration was funded by grants totalling £10,066 from Portsmouth city council, £4000 from Hampshire county council and £2000 from the Department of the Environment.[4] The Engine House is now open to the public[3] as a museum, owned by Portsmouth City Council (Museums Service) but operated by volunteers; consequently is only open on the last weekend in every month.

The beam and flywheel of the engine in action
Entrance to the Eastney Beam Engine House

References

  1. ^ a b "Listed Buildings 2006 (roads H to L)" (PDF). Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 10 November 2009.[dead link]
  2. ^ "4 September: Discover hidden sights of Portsmouth in heritage events this weekend". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 10 November 2009.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b Otter, R.A. (1994). Civil Engineering Heritage. pp. 156–167. ISBN 0-7277-1971-8.
  4. ^ Riley, R.C (1993). Portsmouth,1975-1979 : A History Based On the Records Of the City Council. Portsmouth City Council. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-901559-88-1.

External links

External images
image icon General external view
(Geograph image)
image icon Woolf compound beam engine
(Geograph image)
image icon Centrifugal storm water pumps
(Geograph image)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Eastney Beam Engine.


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