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Water : Birmingham's water supply

Does any one know or remember if the there was a water pumping station on the Walsall Rd at Perry Barr/Birchfield? When I was a small child my Dad took me to a pumping station that was being decommissioned during a huge road improvement plan (I think it was The Walsall Rd). He told me it was something I should remember as I'd never see one working in this way again. I've read on another forum about the Perry Sinkings, and wondered whether this beam engine was something to do with removing water from the closed pit at Hamstead? however looking at maps there was a reservoir at Perry Park and also the River Thame nearby and I'm now wondering if it was connected to that?
 
Living in Perry Barr in the 50's/60's I seem to have a vague memory of something like that but not exactly where it was. The only thing I can find is this....

The lock flight at Perry Barr is known as the New Thirteen as opposed to the Old Thirteen at Farmers Bridge on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. From c1850 a pumping station between locks 12 and 13 pumped water by pipe from the 302-foot level to the 408-foot level.



Three steam-powered beam engines were replaced by two sets of vertical triple-expansion engines in 1895 which continued in steam until 1958, the last on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. No evidence survives, though some original canal buildings do. Off Deykin Avenue and Walsall Road are original lock-keeper's cottages. The top two locks and the Horsley cast-iron bridges are Grade II Listed.

From this page..
billdargue.jimdofree.com

Perry

William Dargue A History of BIRMINGHAM Places & Placenames from A to Y
billdargue.jimdofree.com billdargue.jimdofree.com
 
A Sparks said:
Living in Perry Barr in the 50's/60's I seem to have a vague memory of something like that but not exactly where it was. The only thing I can find is this....

The lock flight at Perry Barr is known as the New Thirteen as opposed to the Old Thirteen at Farmers Bridge on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. From c1850 a pumping station between locks 12 and 13 pumped water by pipe from the 302-foot level to the 408-foot level.



Three steam-powered beam engines were replaced by two sets of vertical triple-expansion engines in 1895 which continued in steam until 1958, the last on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. No evidence survives, though some original canal buildings do. Off Deykin Avenue and Walsall Road are original lock-keeper's cottages. The top two locks and the Horsley cast-iron bridges are Grade II Listed.

From this page..
billdargue.jimdofree.com

Perry

William Dargue A History of BIRMINGHAM Places & Placenames from A to Y
billdargue.jimdofree.com billdargue.jimdofree.com
Click to expand...
I think you are right. I don’t recall a waterworks on Walsall Road, however that does not mean there wasn’t one.

There was most certainly a canal water pumping station that used to return water to the top of the Perry Barr Lock flight. Some of the valve structures can still be seen on this part of the canal.
 
The year 1958 would coincide with the huge road improvement plan that Adriene mentions - the work on the flyover and underpass.
 
Thank you all for responding. I've found out Birchfield Underpass opened in 1962, which means the pumping station wasn't located there. I have a feeling it was near to the northern end of the fly over, which opened much later, his would also tie in with my age at the time. I'll keep everyone posted with my progress (or lack of).
 
All I recall from the area is from 59/60 they widened the Aldridge Road from the Boars head to Great Barr so that it could be used as a bus route, as part of the job they removed an over canal hump back bridge.
The site engineer brought into our garage a steel RSJ which he wanted cut into two equal lengths, he said technically it would be an inch short on each length for the job it was meant to do but as far as he was concerned that was 'near enough' (It was to reinforce a manhole the buses would be travelling over.) :worried:
The bridge removed was mainly cast iron, we asked what would happen to that, he said it would go for scrap and "it's my perk."
 
It odd to think that the bridge in its scrapped and reworked form is probably still around somewhere in the world. Often those old bridges had a gap in the middle for the tow ropes to pass through as many barges were pulled by pairs of donkeys rather than a horse or pony.
 
A school friend of mine lived in Gough Rd Edgbaston, big old Georgian pile (in need of work as they say) but I loved going there, living in Balfour House flat going to a 19 roomed house was amazing but anyway, in the garden three stone slabs covered a well and friends father would water the garden from it and it was crystal clear water, would that just be from natural ground seepage or from a stream or river? Any ideas?
 
richardinwales said:
A school friend of mine lived in Gough Rd Edgbaston, big old Georgian pile (in need of work as they say) but I loved going there, living in Balfour House flat going to a 19 roomed house was amazing but anyway, in the garden three stone slabs covered a well and friends father would water the garden from it and it was crystal clear water, would that just be from natural ground seepage or from a stream or river? Any ideas?
Click to expand...
There use to be thousands of domestic wells in Birmingham that would utilise the ground water that tends to start around 3m deep. As a builder, I have come across quite a few. There are also a number of natural springs across the city that were piped, and tanks built to use as water supplies. We just don’t see these now as they have been culverted as building development has taken place over the years. Again, I have had to deal with a few that have resurfaced after many years. There are five or six natural springs over Moseley Bog that give a considerable supply.

The Victorians also built a lot of Sweet Water tanks. These were located either under the kitchen floor or in the garden and would collect rainwater from the roofs.

These wells, springs and tanks were made redundant once organised water supplies were established
 
Morturn said:
The Victorians also built a lot of Sweet Water tanks. These were located either under the kitchen floor or in the garden and would collect rainwater from the roofs.......
Click to expand...
This practice continued well into the 20th century - I remember a house in Streetly built in ca 1915 with one just outside the scullery door.

And surely a time to be re-invented, in these ecologically aware and climate warming times! Far tidier than water butts for garden watering and, because we now have electric pumps, no frantic - and sometimes vain - pumping of the handle in the hope that the perishing thing would eventually prime itself.

Chris
 
ChrisM said:
This practice continued well into the 20th century - I remember a house in Streetly built in ca 1915 with one just outside the scullery door.

And surely a time to be re-invented, in these ecologically aware and climate warming times! Far tidier than water butts for garden watering and, because we now have electric pumps, no frantic - and sometimes vain - pumping of the handle in the hope that the perishing thing would eventually prime itself.

Chris
Click to expand...
We had 2 outside the pub in oswestry.drawing water from a well. i had to take one apart to see how it worked.you know me i have to tinker with things and i got it to work fine.there was only a leather washers in there like a bike pump:grinning:1638782518950.png1638781875739.png
 
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