Victorian Pumping Station
Papplewick is located near the City of Nottingham, in the east of England, and is a great place for taking photos.
Papplewick Pumping Station was built in the late Victorian era to supply fresh water to the nearby city of Nottingham.
The site includes an underground brick built reservoir, that visitors can go down, with a guide.
The main site is beautiful in a way that the Victorians often made their buildings.
Despite being a public utility, that few people would see, they incorporated beautiful design features into the building and grounds.
On bank holidays, the boilers are fired up, and the pumping station can be seen operating, which is well worth a visit.
The bank holiday weekends when the Victorian beam engines are operating, is recommended for the photographer.
Whilst actual moving machinery makes taking a great photo more challenging, it is worth it.
The first photo on this page shows a moving part of the beam engine, with the spinning ‘governor’ in the foreground.
Other photo opportunities at Papplewick Pumping Station include a large man made lake, gardens and the beautiful victorian building exterior.
But perhaps the best kept secret so far, is the underground reservoir.
The underground reservoir is located up the hill from the main pumping station building, housing the beam engines.
The reservoir is accessed via an access road which takes you to the entrance.
You then go down some steps into the ground.
Inside the underground reservoir (which is of course empty of water now), it is like a kind of cathedral.
The reservoir is quite dimly lit internally, which creates a great atmosphere for your photos.
Whilst you cannot access the underground reservoir without a tour guide, you have plenty of time to take pictures.
I will be adding more photos to this page in the near future.