Where
Near Ravenshead village, eight miles from Nottingham
What
A freshwater pumping station dating from 1884. It was one of several built to provide clean water for the residents of Nottingham and the surrounding area
Opened
The Papplewick Pumping Station Trust was formed in 1974. After major repair and maintenance work, the station opened to the public in April 1976
Collection
The core collection is the site itself. "The collection is quite small - we don't have hundreds of objects," says director Ashley Smart. "What we do have are two James Watt and Co beam engines that would draw water from 200 feet below ground, six of the oldest working Galloway Lancashire boilers in England, a brick-vaulted reservoir dating from 1879, and the ornate gothic-revival engine and boiler houses."
Help at hand
Just Smart and a part-time site manager. There are also about 20 regular volunteers, who help run the engines for the steam weekends and carry out essential maintenance
Budget
The museum has no core funding and most of its income comes from the eight steam weekends that it runs every year. Smart says the site costs about £40,000 a year to run, excluding staff costs. He is starting this year with an available budget of just £12,000
Visitors
The site is open for the eight steam weekends and every Sunday afternoon throughout the year. Last year, it attracted 5,000 visitors
Survival tip
Smart says that relying solely on visitor income is foolhardy. Visitor figures and income were down last year because bad weather affected the steam weekends. He is looking at other forms of income generation, such as hiring out the site for wedding ceremonies. "Be multifunctional, but without sacrificing the integrity of your site," he advises. "You need plenty of enthusiasm and a 'can-do attitude."
Highlights
Getting £2.1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2003 to restore the site. It had become overgrown and some of the buildings were getting to the "point of no return". The money enabled the trust to return the site to its original Victorian design; the engine house was reroofed and other buildings were restored
Current project
Smart is working on setting up the Water Education Trust in collaboration with Nottingham University. He says the aim is to develop the station and the university as the essential place for water education and literacy. He is putting in a bid to the Big Lottery Fund this year to help establish the trust.
The next steam weekend is on 23-24 March.
www.papplewickpumpingstation.co.uk
Near Ravenshead village, eight miles from Nottingham
What
A freshwater pumping station dating from 1884. It was one of several built to provide clean water for the residents of Nottingham and the surrounding area
Opened
The Papplewick Pumping Station Trust was formed in 1974. After major repair and maintenance work, the station opened to the public in April 1976
Collection
The core collection is the site itself. "The collection is quite small - we don't have hundreds of objects," says director Ashley Smart. "What we do have are two James Watt and Co beam engines that would draw water from 200 feet below ground, six of the oldest working Galloway Lancashire boilers in England, a brick-vaulted reservoir dating from 1879, and the ornate gothic-revival engine and boiler houses."
Help at hand
Just Smart and a part-time site manager. There are also about 20 regular volunteers, who help run the engines for the steam weekends and carry out essential maintenance
Budget
The museum has no core funding and most of its income comes from the eight steam weekends that it runs every year. Smart says the site costs about £40,000 a year to run, excluding staff costs. He is starting this year with an available budget of just £12,000
Visitors
The site is open for the eight steam weekends and every Sunday afternoon throughout the year. Last year, it attracted 5,000 visitors
Survival tip
Smart says that relying solely on visitor income is foolhardy. Visitor figures and income were down last year because bad weather affected the steam weekends. He is looking at other forms of income generation, such as hiring out the site for wedding ceremonies. "Be multifunctional, but without sacrificing the integrity of your site," he advises. "You need plenty of enthusiasm and a 'can-do attitude."
Highlights
Getting £2.1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2003 to restore the site. It had become overgrown and some of the buildings were getting to the "point of no return". The money enabled the trust to return the site to its original Victorian design; the engine house was reroofed and other buildings were restored
Current project
Smart is working on setting up the Water Education Trust in collaboration with Nottingham University. He says the aim is to develop the station and the university as the essential place for water education and literacy. He is putting in a bid to the Big Lottery Fund this year to help establish the trust.
The next steam weekend is on 23-24 March.
www.papplewickpumpingstation.co.uk
