Report - Earith Pumping Station, Cambridgeshire : September 2023

[JakeV50]

Earith Pumping Station

This one isn’t gonna set the world on fire but it’s one that hasn’t been reported before. From another one of mine and Dan’s trips, it was an overall failed day, like most have been recently to be honest. We managed to get into this one, found a couple of other fantastic looking ones which were sadly sealed up. They were big, definitely keeping an eye on them.

Managed to find this one via OS maps. It’s present on 1937-1960s maps but didn’t find it on any maps prior to that date. It’s certainly a more modern station. Inside there were quite a few electronic metering devices, there was a control board which had ‘Earith #2 Station, Earith #3 Station, Earith #4 Station’ so it’s possible this could have been a main control hub for some smaller ones locally. There is a small station just down from this one which I stupidly forgot to look at....

Two 33kw pumps were fitted above the large well like hole in the ground, I’m not 100 percent sure what this hole is for. There’s a ladder which descends down, it’s at least 15 feet down until the water, then you can see the ladder disappear down into the murky depths so who knows how deep it actually is.

Two Grundfos vertical water pumps remain, one leaning slightly.

Sadly, the local kids have got it and done some of their best artwork on the walls.

Can’t go much more in depth than that. I didn’t manage to find any history at all, no build dates or anything....

Looking down into the hole

Some old paperwork from 1976

​

 

[Wastelandr]

Very nice! Quite a sizable building that. How comes most of these pumping stations have been taken out of action?

 

[JakeV50]

Very nice! Quite a sizable building that. How comes most of these pumping stations have been taken out of action?

To be honest I'm not really sure. I assume that there are more efficient, smaller pumps which have been installed, rendering these older 'dinosaur' like ones useless. I suppose it's old technology that has served it's purpose.

There are much cheaper and more effective ways to run these things now than there was back in the 40s or 50s when this one was built. Pumps are more efficient, it's probably cheaper and easier in the long run to just build a new station which is fit for purpose than having to rip out all the old equipment and put new ones in etc

 

[Wastelandr]

To be honest I'm not really sure. I assume that there are more efficient, smaller pumps which have been installed, rendering these older 'dinosaur' like ones useless. I suppose it's old technology that has served it's purpose.

There are much cheaper and more effective ways to run these things now than there was back in the 40s or 50s when this one was built. Pumps are more efficient, it's probably cheaper and easier in the long run to just build a new station which is fit for purpose than having to rip out all the old equipment and put new ones in etc

Interesting, yeah that makes sense. I suppose a lot of infrastructure is centralised and automated more from a single station for an area, a bit like how sewage works are often now remotely controlled and all have disused offices and facilities. Guess it might even be the result of cutting costs but I suppose its also efficiency.

 

[HughieD]

Decent that, despite being wide open and a bit graffed up. Good work mate.

 

[dansgas1000]

They came out decent in the end and was a decent find! Sadly another unsuccessful day on the whole but we will continue to persevere

 

[Calamity Jane]

Decent little find there guys. Still got enough left to make a decent set. Well done on your detective skills & research.

 

[JakeV50]

Decent that, despite being wide open and a bit graffed up. Good work mate.

They came out decent in the end and was a decent find! Sadly another unsuccessful day on the whole but we will continue to persevere

Decent little find there guys. Still got enough left to make a decent set. Well done on your detective skills & research.

Thank you all!

 

[tigger]

The Grundfos pumps are likley to have been for dewatering the now flooded wellhead .
As most of the pumping stations around here are in the same area as the relative modern (and in some parts ongoing for at least the next 25 years) gravel extraction a search through Hanson's planning applications might yield some info. Certainly more likley to related to that than the Drainage Board operations your usual pumphouses relate to.
Exterior brickwork looks like 1970s

Good to see something a little different recorded and photographed well.

 

[JakeV50]

The Grundfos pumps are likley to have been for dewatering the now flooded wellhead .
As most of the pumping stations around here are in the same area as the relative modern (and in some parts ongoing for at least the next 25 years) gravel extraction a search through Hanson's planning applications might yield some info. Certainly more likley to related to that than the Drainage Board operations your usual pumphouses relate to.
Exterior brickwork looks like 1970s

Good to see something a little different recorded and photographed well.

Thanks for that. I'll have to have a look into it.

 

[mingerocket]

Excellent, one of my favourites so far