The Pumphouse, Swansea
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Pumphouse, Swansea by Jaggery as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
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Image: © Jaggery Taken: 28 Nov 2013
Now a Brains pub, located in Pumphouse Quay in Swansea's Maritime Quarter, the Pumphouse was completed c1900 to house the hydraulic pump for Swansea's South and North Docks. For nearly 70 years, the Pumphouse supplied high-pressure water to various machines in the area, including a swing bridge which rotated to one side to allow ships to enter or leave the South Dock. Half of the bridge's span is preserved on the dockside nearby - part of its dark blue structure http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3954569 is at the right edge of the view. Other devices powered by the pressurised water included cranes, lock gates and hoists for loading coal into ships. The tower encased a heavy ram which pressed down on the water in the hydraulic system. Large boilers supplied steam to the pumps which kept the system pressurised. In the 1950s the steam machinery was replaced by electric pumps. The pumps finally stopped when the South Dock closed. The lock gates and swing bridge operated for the last time in 1971. With the South Dock's redevelopment as a marina in the 1980s, this building was converted to a pub.
Image Location
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