7 September
Water wheel that powered Industrial Revolution given with top transport award
***** Interview Opportunity *****
Date: Wednesday 12 September, 11.30am.
What: The unveiling of the Transport Trust Red Wheel Plaque as it is presented to the Claverton
Pumping Station.
Contact: Joe Coggins in the Canal & River Trust press office on 020 7985 7203
joe.coggins@canalrivertrust.org.uk
Location: Claverton Pumping Station, Ferry Lane BA2 7BQ.
Claverton Pumping Station, near Bath, which opened in 1813 as part of the pioneering canal route
between London and Bristol, will be honoured with a Red Wheel award from the Transport Trust on
Wednesday 12 September.
The Red Wheel programme, which is a transport equivalent of the English Heritage’s blue plaque
scheme, recognises Britain's greatest transport heritage sites.
The Pumping Station was designed by one of the innovators of the Industrial Revolution, engineer
John Rennie (1761-1821), to supply water to the Kennet & Avon Canal which acted as a freight route
between the two major trading cities.
The principal method of supplying water for canals was by drawing off from streams or rivers, but
where a natural supply was unavailable an alternative method was needed. To solve this problem on
the Kennet & Avon, Rennie built two pumping stations to supply water from sources at lower levels. At
Crofton he used a coal fired steam engine to pump water from Wilton reservoir, at Claverton he
used a large water wheel on the site of a former grist mill to pump water from the mill pond supplied
from the River Avon.
Claverton Pumping Station, a Grade II listed building, is owned by the Canal & River Trust and
managed in conjunction with Kennet & Avon Canal volunteers, who carry out all the maintenance and
repair work. Today separate electric pumps provide a regular supply of water to the canal at
Claverton, but the historic pumping mechanism driven by a pair of mill wheels still works and is
capable of supplementing the supply if required.
Vince Moran, operations director at the Canal & River Trust, which is responsible for the 2,000 miles
of waterways in England and Wales, said: “The Red Wheel plaque recognises John Rennie’s
engineering masterstroke and the dedication and foresight of today’s volunteers who have made sure
the station continues to operate.
“The value of the freight route on the Kennet & Avon Canal cannot be overstated. It was the motorway
of its day, vital to the trade between the west country and London and for delivering coal to Bath,
Bristol and Wiltshire from the Somerset coalfields. Claverton was central to keeping the canal in water
on this route. We are delighted it has been recognised with this honour.”
The plaque will be unveiled at 11.30am on Wednesday 12 September. The ceremony will be attended
by members of the Canal & River Trust, the Transport Trust, the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and
representatives from local tourism bodies and canal societies.
President of the Transport Trust, Sir William McAlpine, said: “The Transport Trust is delighted to be
awarding a Red Wheel to Claverton Pumping Station. The aim of the scheme is to increase
awareness and appreciation of Britain's great transport heritage - especially amongst a wider and
younger audience - and Claverton is a classic candidate. For 200 years, this little-known gem
performed its vital function of supplying water to the Kennet & Avon Canal and, as a water-powered
water pumping station, Claverton is just about as 'environment-friendly' as it's possible to be: it
deserves to be much better known.”
Mike Rodd, Chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, says: “We are very pleased that our
volunteers are working in partnership with the Canal River Trust to ensure this vital piece of the
waterways landscape and heritage is not only preserved for future generations, but will go on and
inform and educate local people about the significant role the canal plays in the life of everybody in
the Wiltshire region. It took our volunteers less than 10 years to get the water flowing through the
pumping station again, and we are delighted that this and subsequent engineering projects have been
recognized by such a prestigious award.”
The Kennet & Avon Canal thrived in the early years but decline set in with the coming of the railways
and in 1852 ownership was transferred to the Great Western Railway who held it until nationalization
in 1948, at which point the canal was largely redundant. Claverton Pumping Station remained fully
operational until 1952 when, under British Transport Commission ownership, it was closed down. In
1963 the canal became the responsibility of the British Waterways Board (now the Canal & River
Trust) and four years later volunteers from the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and engineering
students from the University of Bath began the restoration of the abandoned pumping station.
Claverton recommenced pumping to the canal in 1975, although it took another fifteen years until
1990 for the remainder of the canal to be fully restored and officially reopened.
The Station is a rare surviving example of late Georgian and Regency technology and while some
changes were made during the early years of operation, much of the original pumping machinery can
still be seen today.
Members of the public can visit the Station every Sunday from 31 March – 30th September. For more
information visit www.claverton.org/
The Red Wheel programme was introduced in 2009 and, to date, over 50 plaques have been
awarded - to sites as varied as the Anderton Boat Lift, SS 'Great Britain', Camden Locomotive
Roundhouse and the Royal Flying Corps base at Calshot.
Ends
Notes to editors
For more information about the Canal & River Trust visit http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/
For more information about the Transport Trust visit www.transporttrust.com and about the Red
Wheel scheme www.transportheritage.com