Volunteers spend 30 years restoring a Victorian sewer pump station

It’s always good to have a passion project, but what’s going on in Staffordshire, England, is likely a one-of-a-kind endeavor. In the town of Burton upon Trent, a rotating team of volunteers has spent over 30 years restoring a Victorian pump house. Although efforts to repair the Claymills Pumping Station first began in 1993, the team recently created a YouTube channel to showcase their ongoing progress. The most recent video in their “Big Rebuild” series focuses on reassembling and firing up Boiler No. 1, a major part in the station’s massive, 90-year-old Lancashire furnace system.

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The last time Boiler No. 1 produced any steam was 1973, when it still relied on parts installed during the 1930s. Decades of exposure from a collapsed roof has damaged the overall system. Not all the original parts were salvageable, requiring the team to construct accurate replica pieces that include a pair of heavy furnace doors. Other recent hurdles included returning all of the brickwork surrounding Boiler No. 1 back into place after initially removing it to check on the equipment’s condition. It’s monotonous work, but necessary for constructing a flume cradle to guide hot gas through the boiler twice over, extracting as much heat as possible.

When it was first built in 1885, the pumping station’s gigantic, intricate system was highly advanced, and required comparatively few operators. Even so, working at Claymills would have been exhausting. According to the restorers, a single attendant was expected to shovel coal into two separate boilers during their eight hour shifts. Not only that, but rotating usage schedules meant that it was common for each boiler to be located at opposite ends of the facility.

While there is still a lot left to do, the volunteers expect to fire up Boiler No. 1 for the first time in over 50 years in only a few weeks. Other sections of the pumping station are already fully restored and regularly demonstrated for visitors to the historical site.