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Back in the good ol days when we were free to roam the streets myself & my lad paid this place a visit.
The main pumping station building that we see today was designed by the famous public waterworks architect Thomas Hawksley and built in 1893. It is an almost identical copy of the Dalton Pumping Station in Sunderland 1873-79. The building is characteristic of the gothic revival design, Hawksley being a big fan of John Ruskin.
The pumping station was built to house two beam engines and pump water from the river Sowe to a reservoir in order to supply the city of Coventry with clean water. The pumping station was commissioned by the City of Coventry Corporation in 1893, and the coat-of-arms of the city can be seen above the main entrance. The site also consisted of a lodge house, built at the same time, also in the redbrick and stone style of the gothic revival.
The main pumping station are Grade II listed.
There are plans to redevelop the main pumping station into the centrepiece of an apartment complex. The plans were submitted in 2007, however little progress has been made.
Not much else to say really the building is empty but still has some magnificent architectural features.
Oh & the pics are a bit old & crap, sorry about that.
Thanks for looking
