Whistley Pump and Single Span Bridge to Immediately to the South

Reasons for Designation

The mid-C17 bridge and late-C19 water pump, located on Whistley Lane, Potterne, are recommended for designation in Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural interest: the bridge is well constructed for such a small-scale structure. * Intactness: the bridge and pump are unaltered * Group value: the bridge and water pump contribute to the historic character of Potterne, illustrating the relationship between water supply and village layout.

Details

POTTERNE

1383/0/10008 WHISTLEY ROAD 14-FEB-11 WHISTLEY PUMP AND SINGLE SPAN BRIDGE T O IMMEDIATELY TO THE SOUTH

II A single-span bridge and adjacent water pump. Mid-C17 and late C19 respectively.

MATERIALS: Bridge constructed of local Potterne stone, the pump is of cast iron

The BRIDGE is dated 1652. Its northern face consists of six voussoirs with the keystone inscribed with the date 1652; the lower left voussoir is a single stone that has been scribed with a false joint to give the appearance of two stones so as to provide symmetry in the arch. The abutment is of stone rubble and the parapet is of concrete; part of the spandrel and parapet were damaged in 2010 when they were struck by a vehicle accessing the farm. Later stone rubble revetment walling hides the majority of the southern face of the bridge, but the visible voussoirs and keystone are identical in form to those on the north face. The intrados is of stone rubble.

The WATER PUMP has a cast-iron fluted pillar with a fluted cap and ball finial and an angled spout on the east face. Its casing was cast by E.W. Maundrell of Calne at some time between 1888 (the date E.W. Maundell took over Gough's Foundry in Calne) and 1899 (the date at which Pump Lane is first documented on sales particulars). As the flow of water from the pump is continuous there is no handle, wheel or associated pumping mechanism. As such, its function is closely associated with that of a standpipe rather than a water pump; although historical mapping has labelled the feature a water tap, there is no tap on the structure. Fed from springs in the hill beside Pump Lane, the pump is believed to have functioned continuously since construction

HISTORY: There are a number of springs in an around the village of Potterne, along with the stream that flows through the village. The layout of Potterne is inextricably linked to this historic water supply, and Whistley Road, the main road that runs through the village from the north-west, follows, in part, the course of the stream. As the village, which is largely of medieval origin, developed, access across the stream to Parsonage Farm and to an unmade path, known locally as Pump Lane, was provided by means of a stone bridge in the mid-C17; the bridge is shown on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1886. In the late C19 a water pump was erected on land adjacent to the bridge to exploit one of the springs in the hill beside Pump Lane; it is labelled on the 3rd edition Ordnance Survey map of 1924 as a water tap.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The mid-C17 bridge and late-C19 water pump, located on Whistley Lane, Potterne, are designated in Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural interest: the design of the bridge has been executed to a high standard for such a small-scale structure. * Intactness: the bridge and pump are unaltered * Group value: the bridge and water pump contribute to the historic character of Potterne, illustrating the relationship between water supply and village layout.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

509102

Legacy System:

LBS

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