Isle of Wight (click on photograph to bring up bigger/better version).
 

At Blackgang Chine, Blackgang. Photo supplied by Marcus Simms - thanks, Marcus. Markings: Just possible to make out a lion rampant. Manufacturer: Joseph Evans, but the handle isn't typical.

On Bonchurch Village Rd., Bonchurch. This very smart lift and force pump mounted on a plank had a dual purpose - to supply water externally via the draw-off cock or internally to the house via the delivery pipe. Maybe there was a cistern inside? I really don't know what the funnel-like attachment is for, on top of the barrel - perhaps for priming the pump? But it seems to have what might be a bleed valve on its underside, although in the strangest of places if it is. Markings: None seen at a distance. Manufacturer: Unk.

This probable lead pump is at Brading. Thanks to Marcus Simms for the photo. Markings: None. Manufacturer: Unk.

In private hands at Chale Green. Thanks to Ian for the photos - and what's more he has restored the pump to full working condition. Markings: Standard Appleby's roundel. Manufacturer: Appleby & Co.

	At Shooters Hill Well, Cowes. Thanks to Marcus Simms for the photos. A plaque above the pump reads:
	THIS WELL, RESTORED BY COWES TOWN COUNCIL AND COWES CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED OPEN BY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCILLOR ALAN WELLS 9th DECEMBER 2006
	Markings: None visible. Manufacturer: Unk.

At Robin Hill Park, Downend, this pump is identical to ones at Shorwell and East Cowes. Thanks to Bryan Woolford for the photo. Markings: An entwined anchor and rope. Manufacturer: With the exception of the emblem, this pump is essentially identical to a Macfarlane's No.1, made by Walter MacFarlane & Co., of Glasgow. At the moment it's only a guess, but could it have been made under an Admiralty contract?.

Standing in the middle of a green patch, this pump used to serve the old Coastguard Station, East Cowes. The Coastguard Station was built in 1881, and in 1883 is recorded as housing the Chief Officer and 14 men. Although it has lost its cap, this pump is identical to those at Downend and Shorwell. Markings: An entwined anchor and rope. Manufacturer: With the exception of the emblem, this pump is essentially identical to a Macfarlane's No.1, made by Walter MacFarlane & Co., of Glasgow. At the moment it's only a guess, but could it have been made under an Admiralty contract?.

Pump at Nettlestone, with a broken handle fulcrum. Photo supplied by Marcus Simms - thanks, Marcus. Markings: "P" in a hexagon. Manufacturer: Trademark used by Puteus.

Pump in private hands at Newport, IoW. Markings: None reported. Manufacturer: Unk.

	A (chained-down) flywheel and twin-throw crank pump at Newtown. Nearby is an inscribed panel:
	NEWTOWN VILLAGE PUMP CIRCA 1894 RESTORED 1983 BY MEMBERS OF THE YOUTH TRAINING SCHEME ON BEHALF OF CALBOURNE PARISH COUNCIL - - -
	Markings: "J. TYLOR & SONS, ENGINEERS. 2, NEWGATE ST. LONDON". Manufacturer: J. Tylor & Sons, London.

In the High St., Niton. Not seen this model before, but it has a rather smart air vessel. Markings: None found. Manufacturer: Unk.

An octagonal pump, hidden deep in Parkhurst Forest, a long way from any building. A concrete slab just in front of it covers an old well, which is shown on a 1907 map. The pump is surprisingly formal for its location, and carries some nice embellishments. And it's essentially identical to ones in Rusper, West Sussex, and Leigh, Surrey. Markings: None. Manufacturer: Unk.

	The public pump at St. Lawrence - with a curiously out-of-proportion handle, which I take to be a replacement, as the pump is otherwise almost identical with one in Ixworth, Suffolk. A nearby inscription reads:		This one is outside a private residence in St. Lawrence Markings: A "P" within a hexagon. Manufacturer: Trademark currently used by the Puteus Company of Germany.
	ST LAWRENCE VILLAGE PUMP RESTORED BY THE UNDERCLIFF SOCIETY
	Markings: Warners, London. Manufacturer: John Warner & Sons, Crescent Foundry, Cripplegate, London.

	Two pumps of very different eras at Sandford. The lead pump on the left carries in relief the date 1803 and (so I'm reliably informed) a depiction of "Flora", the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. The one on the right is a cast iron semi-rotary, minus its original wooden handle (which would have fitted over the iron spike), but complete with an air vessel that looks as if it has been cobbled together from a copper ball float. It has two fixing lugs which might indicate that it was originally mounted on a plank or other wooden framing.
	Markings: None other. Manufacturer: Unk.	Markings: "No. 2 Runwell" and "British Make". Manufacturer: Runwell.

A pitcher pump employed as a water feature at the Crab Inn, Shanklin. No sign of a Lion trademark, which I believe makes this pump pre-1890. Markings: "Jos. Evans & Sons Wolverhampton England", written around the rim. Manufacturer: Joseph Evans.

A very old lead pump tank has been used here as a garden feature in Ventnor. Underneath it is a stone trough, which protrudes either side of the wall in which it is embedded, so there's no way that the pump could have worked in this position! Markings: "TH", "1775" and a design that I can't make out. Manufacturer: Unk.

This one's tucked away on South St., Yarmouth. It was apparently erected over the old well in 1890, but it has lost its cap and is now cracked. Markings: There's a panel on the pump head, but nothing discernible on it. Manufacturer: Unk.

|Back to Directory|Back to Map|Home|