Metropolitan Water Board Pump House Tower, Kew Bridge

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

In the entry for:-

KEW BRIDGE ROAD, BRENTFORD TQ 1878 16/194 Metropolitan Water Board Pump House Tower, Kew Bridge.

I GV

The description shall be amended to read:

Stand-pipe tower. 1867. Builders Messrs Aird and Sons for the Grand Junction Water Works Company. Rendered brick with rendered dressings. Tower is square in plan, tapering in its height to the square base of the octagonal cupolas, to which the plan changes by means of squinches on the 4 corners. There are 2 large cornices, the lower forming the top of the plinth of the tower which is just under a third of its height. The upper-cornice is immediately below the squinches to the upper cupola, and has modillions. The plinth has a secondary plinth, cement rendered, banding approximately one third of its height and has 3 pilasters with rendered imposts and 2 semi-circular arches with ventilation slits in the recessed panels.

This is on all 4 sides. The shaft has a rendered plinth of banding also 3 pilasters and 2 rendered arches with rendered imposts. Semi-cicular above there is a circular window with a large arch springing from the 2 outside pilasters. The cupola has slender openings in each face surmounted by a rendered arch on rendered imposts on all 8 sides. The shaft of the cupola is topped by a very simple banded capping.

The cupola formerly had a copper dome. A ball and metal rod with lighting conductor forms the terminal finial to the tower. The tower contained a 4-foot rising and a 3-foot falling pipe, and replaced an earlier standpipe which was damaged by severe frost.

------------------------------------

KEW BRIDGE ROAD, BRENTFORD 1.

4419 Metropolitan Water Board Pump-house Tower Kew Bridge TQ 1878 16/194

I

2. Built 1867 as part of pump-house buildings, housing the important Boulton and Watt Cornish pumping machines. Tower is square in plan, tapering in its height to the square base of the octagonal cupolas, to which the plan changes by means of squinches on the 4 corners. There are 2 large cornices, the lower forming the top of the plinth of the tower which is just under a third of its height. The upper cornice is immediately below the squinches to the upper cupola, and has modillions. The plinth has a secondary plinth, cement rendered, banding approximately one third of its height and has 3 pilasters with rendered imposts and 2 semi-circular arches with ventilation slits in the recessed panels. This is on all 4 sides. The shaft has a rendered plinth of banding also 3 pilasters and 2 rendered arches with rendered imposts. Semi-circular above there is a circular window with a large arch springing from the 2 outside pilasters. The cupola has slender openings in each face surmounted by a rendered arch on rendered imposts on all 8 sides. The shaft of the cupola is topped by a very simple banded capping. The cupola formerly had a copper dome. A ball and metal rod with lighting conductor forms the terminal finial to the tower.

Listing NGR: TQ1881478028

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/0120 IOE Records taken by Quiller Barrett; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr Quiller Barrett. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project