Owston Ferry Pumping Engine Preservation Society

When the South Street Pumping Station was constructed in 1910, it was equipped with two Cornish boilers manufactured by Marshalls of Gainsborough, along with two LT class horizontal compound steam engines driving 24 inch Drysdale centrifugal pumps. These formed the station’s original pumping plant and remained in operation for several decades.

 

By the mid 20th century, changes in drainage requirements and machinery condition led to several upgrades. In 1952 one of the Marshall steam engines was removed and replaced with a Ruston & Hornsby HRC class diesel engine. In 1963, after the Cornish boilers had deteriorated beyond economic repair, an extension was added to the south side of the building to house a Lister Blackstone EV3 engine and Sulzer pump. Further improvements followed in 1981 with the installation of an external electric pump, ensuring that the heritage machinery inside the original station remained intact.

 

In 2007, at the request of the Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board, the Organisation for the Preservation of the Engines of the Pumping Station (OFPEPS) was formally constituted and granted a 50 year lease. Its aims are to preserve and interpret the historic steam and oil engines and to record the wider history of drainage across the Isle of Axholme.

 

During the 2013 AGM, members agreed to begin work to restore steam capability to the surviving Marshall engine. Quotations for a new boiler proved beyond the organisation’s means, but a trustee subsequently donated an uncertificated boiler for restoration. All refurbishment work has since been carried out by OFPEPS volunteers, including welding new metal into corroded areas, fitting new fire tubes, and reinstating the bottom end plate. To protect the historic fabric of the pumping house, the restored boiler has been installed in an external container, with only the steam main passing into the original building.

 

Work continues on maintaining the historic engines, pumps, and associated equipment. The careful preservation and refurbishment undertaken by volunteers ensures that the South Street Pumping Station remains an important record of the engineering and drainage heritage of the Isle of Axholme.