Report - Hydroelectric Power Station and Pumping Station, Reading

[Dragon_Urbex]

So, yesterday (Sunday, 2nd of February), I met up with a friend of mine and we went exploring. We tried a few places but only had success at two: first was the old Environment Agency lab site near Fobney Island Nature Reserve (utterly trashed, wouldn't recommend it now... waste of time! But did explore it back in 2017 when it was in much better condition:

) and then quite by chance, we saw that an old unused and derelict pumping station building was accesible. There was another person inside it doing sound recording but he'd just finished so we had a look around. As far as I know, the building was built in 1872 by the Reading Waterworks. Really interesting building! There were three vertical turbine shafts, indicating this place generated electricity as well as pumping water. Enjoy the photos!

 

[Speed]

I think what you are refering to as turbines are the pumps no?

 

[Yorrick]

I think what you are refering to as turbines are the pumps no?

My daughter says the vertical tubes were dampers to reduce "knocking" when the flow stops.

 

[Dragon_Urbex]

I think what you are refering to as turbines are the pumps no?

Nah, the turbines were set about 5 feet in front of those blue things which I think are pressurizers for pumps.

 

[Dragon_Urbex]

An old water powered turbine house which used to be part of Thames Water's water treatment works which still operates on a large site nearby. Not too clear in this shot but the thing looking like a black and white square in the middle here is a weir for the water that used to run the pumps.
Securely boarded up and locked, the building hasn't yet fallen into advanced dereliction. The roof looks to have been repaired recently.

Thought you said it wasn't abandoned and was still in use...?

 

[Yorrick]

now open for the metal thieves

Did you consider that it might have been opened by the metal thieves?

An old water powered turbine house which used to be part of Thames Water's water treatment works which still operates on a large site nearby. Not too clear in this shot but the thing looking like a black and white square in the middle here is a weir for the water that used to run the pumps.
Securely boarded up and locked, the building hasn't yet fallen into advanced dereliction. The roof looks to have been repaired recently.

Yeah, I too read that on someone's random Geograph photo...with no citation or backup anywhere. I've got to say it seems pretty unlikely.

Nah, the turbines were set about 5 feet in front of those blue things

Did you not get any photos of them?

 

[Speed]

Its either going to be pumps or turbines. You dont pump into or out of turbines so considering it says pumps on the panel I'd suggest that's what it is. Looks like the pump motors have gone (would have been where the scaffold is) the pumps are/would have been below.

 

[Speed]

Unless the turbines run the pumps? D- for this report. So many unanswered questions!

 

[urbanchemist]

Looks like a water turbine powered pumping station to me - someone should have a look at the turbines if they are still there under the floor.

edit: there's another one in the riverside museum in town which might make an interesting comparison.

 

[Dragon_Urbex]

Did you consider that it might have been opened by the metal thieves?

Yeah, I too read that on someone's random Geograph photo...with no citation or backup anywhere. I've got to say it seems pretty unlikely.

Did you not get any photos of them?

Not really much point to be honest. The pits were filled with water right to the top so I couldn't see anything down below.

 

[Yorrick]

Not really much point to be honest. The pits were filled with water right to the top so I couldn't see anything down below.

Fair enough. That makes sense of the sluice mechanism too. Didn't twig that last night.

 

[Dragon_Urbex]

Fair enough. That makes sense of the sluice mechanism too. Didn't twig that last night.

Yep. It would have been possible to actually open those sluices with a windlass used to operate lock gates - I was visiting my parents for the weekend from uni and they live on a boat. We've been through the lock by the site loads of times.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Nice to see this place.

 

[urbanchemist]

..You dont pump into or out of turbines ..

Minor point but of course you do, think of all the hydroelectric pumped storage places - generation one way, pump the other, with the same turbine.

 

[Xplawreading]

This was obviously broken into i live right near it and was sealed a few weeks back, i checked today seems like someone has busted the door open now open for the metal thieves sadly

Yup, that’s been sealed up for ages..