IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Coniscliffe Road, DARLINGTON, DL3 8TE

On Coniscliffe Road (A67).

Tees Cottage has long been redundant as regards the water supply for Darlington and surrounding area, a much newer and larger complex is just across the road. However, Tees Cottage has been preserved and is open to visitors on five or six weekends every year. This shows one of two parallel filter beds created in 1849, this one being slightly narrower than its neighbour due to Coniscliffe Road being widened at a later date.

Looking west.

The largest building on site contains the largest item of equipment, a huge and impressive 25 ton beam engine which was installed in 1904. An adjacent boiler room has two large coal fired boilers producing steam to operate the beam engine.

This is the site's preserved Woolf compound beam pumping engine that was installed in 1904. This was the third beam engine on the site, the earlier two dating from 1849 and 1853. This part of the site was designed by T & C Hawksley of London, the engine was designed by Glenfield and Kennedy of Kilmarnock and erected by Teasdale Brothers of Darlington. It is believed that the major components were made by companies in Leeds and Manchester. The beam engine was rated at 140 horsepower at 16 revolutions per minute with steam at 100 pounds per square inch. This is a view of the flywheel and the centre loaded (Porter-type) governor. The governor actuates a throttle valve and is mounted over the crankshaft. The flywheel is cast in two halves, is 21' diameter and weighs 14.5 tons. The flywheel is there just to store and give out energy to smooth the engine's motion and ensure the crank passes the top dead centres. All the engine's power is expended in the water pumps connected to the beam (plus some used in overcoming friction and working the air pump).

This is the site's preserved Woolf compound beam pumping engine that was installed in 1904. This was the third beam engine on the site, the earlier two dating from 1849 and 1853. This part of the site was designed by T & C Hawksley of London, the engine was designed by Glenfield and Kennedy of Kilmarnock and erected by Teasdale Brothers of Darlington. It is believed that the major components were made by companies in Leeds and Manchester. The beam engine was rated at 140 horsepower at 16 revolutions per minute with steam at 100 pounds per square inch. The low lift and high lift pumps are at this end of the beam and the cylinders are at the other side of ornamental column on the far end of the beam. The flywheel on the right is 21' diameter. The engine ran until 1926 and was kept on standby for some years afterwards. The works closed in 1980 and is now managed by a Trust.

Formerly the superintendent's residence on site at Tees Cottage pumping station. Currently the tea rooms on open days.

Pumped river water entering both 1849 filter beds. The pumping station was built on the north bank of the River Tees in 1849 to provide clean drinking water to Darlington and other parts of Teesside. It became a museum in 1980.

The 1849 filter beds and the 1904 beam engine house. The pumping station was built on the north bank of the River Tees in 1849 to provide clean drinking water to Darlington and other parts of Teesside. It became a museum in 1980. The beam engine pumps up water from river water into the filter beds, where it filters slowly through sand.

This is the site's preserved Woolf compound beam pumping engine that was installed in 1904. This was the third beam engine on the site, the earlier two dating from 1849 and 1853. This part of the site was designed by T & C Hawksley of London, the engine was designed by Glenfield and Kennedy of Kilmarnock and erected by Teasdale Brothers of Darlington. It is believed that the major components were made by companies in Leeds and Manchester. The beam engine was rated at 140 horsepower at 16 revolutions per minute with steam at 100 pounds per square inch. This is a view of the crank and pumping arrangements. The crank is closest with a 3' 6" throw and turns the crankshaft that is below driving floor level. This carries the 21' diameter flywheel. The crank revolves between two vertical rods that are joined below and operate the low lift (river pump) that has a bucket 25.5" diameter with a stroke of 6' 0". This delivers 1900 gallons per minute at 16 rpm. In the background can be seen the plunger of the bucket and plunger type high lift pump. The bucket is 32" diameter, the ram 23" diameter and the common stroke 3' 6". This delivers 1800 gallons per minute against a head of 120'.