Bestwood Pumping Station

Details

The grounds of a pumping station, laid out in 1871.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

Founded by the Nottingham Waterworks Company in 1871, Bestwood Pumping Station is one of three late C19 stations which served Nottingham. The land was owned by the Duke of St Albans who had recently completed the building of nearby Bestwood Lodge, and the design of the station had to meet with his approval. The grounds surrounding Bestwood were therefore laid out to a careful design with the buildings and cooling ponds arranged for ornamental effect. No longer an active pumping station, the present owners (2000), Severn Trent Water, are considering a change of use for the site.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING
The grounds of Bestwood Pumping Station cover c 2ha and are located on the west side of the Mansfield Road (A60), c 4km beyond the northern edge of the city of Nottingham. The site is surrounded on the north, east, and south sides by boundary walls (listed grade II) of coursed and squared rubble with steeply gabled coping. Between the east wall and the A60 is a broad ditch. The site is cut into the hillside which rises to the west, the top of the resultant steep bank along the western edge of the property being planted with specimen trees.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES
Lodges are situated at either end of the rectangular site on the A60: East Lodge (listed grade II) towards the south-east corner and West Lodge (listed grade II) towards the north. Both buildings date from 1871 and formed part of the original layout. West Lodge is accompanied by a set of cast-iron double gates set between ashlar piers and flanked by a pair of wicket gates. A second gateway in the boundary wall stands by East Lodge, and the drive running round the west of the main station building links the two.

PRINCIPAL BUILDING
The main station building (listed grade II, 1871) was probably designed by Thomas Hawksley. It stands in the centre of the site a little offset towards the western boundary and is surrounded by an area of hardstanding.

OTHER LAND
To the south of the station building is the cooling pond (listed grade II), constructed in 1871. It has an informal outline, with an island at its southern end. A broad walk runs round the pond, screened from the public road by a band of planting. This links with a path through the patch of woodland at the northern end of the site. A number of cast-iron gas lamps (listed grade II) light the site, two at the edge of the pond and others near East Lodge, West Lodge, and the boiler house. All were part of the original landscaping.

A late C20 chlorination plant has been built to the west of West Lodge.

REFERENCES

Country Life, no 21 (21 May 1992), pp 66/9; no 28 (9 July 1992), p 78

Description written: March 2000
Register Inspector: EMP
Edited: January 2002

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

2461

Legacy System:

Parks and Gardens

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