Leith Hill Pump House – Part 2

By Philip Sampson

Before removal we wanted to have a good look around the pump house & its surroundings.

Inside the door to the left was a curved concrete block with pipe work surrounding it which was probably for the cooling tank. In the opposite corner a smaller block which looks to have been for a fuel tank; again pipes nearby. What would have been a window, if glass remained, was next followed by two brackets and a broken shelf that was clearly for the Lister diesel tank as this was now hanging by its pipes and resting on the engine.

The end wall with the hole in had a black streak up it as did the opposite wall where the belt, belt stick and grease had left their mark. In the centre of the house was the Lister CS 12/2 mounted to a crude concrete block via some angle. Behind the engine was another much nicer block (if a concrete block can be nicer) sat on top of a concrete pad. Looking around this pad I could see that an earlier engine had once sat there corresponding with the cooling and fuel blocks mentioned earlier.  The block on top was possibly a later addition.

Outside the house there was a slight mound in the ground with a manhole on top and behind was a fast flowing stream. Opening the manhole and peering in revealed a lovely reservoir which was fed by the streams via sluice gates. Looking back at the house we could see signs of an exhaust pipe and newer pair of pipes poking through a newer hole in the wall. These were straight pipes from the Lister with no silencing  & must of have sounded pretty loud in the woods especially under load.

Before leaving, the engine number was noted from which a year of 1958 was identified. The pump looks a lot older but it wasn’t until the next visit that more information came to light.