The South Staffordshire Water Company
In addition to their magnificent donation of the two ex Hopwas beam engines to the Forncett and Leicester museums, the South Staffs WC have preserved three other engines in situ, these are the Davies Cornish engine at Sandfields Pumping Station, Lichfield, Staffordshire.
This inverted vertical triple expansion engine is one of a pair built by Galloways of Manchester for the Maple Brook (Lichfield) pumping station of the SSWC ( in 1913, the Corliss valved cylinders of 22", 35" and 55" bore x 48" stroke developed 225 hp at 20 rpm and drove deep well (270 feet) pumps from the cranks at either end of the crankshaft, the two flywheels are 14 feet in diameter.
At Brindley Bank near Rugeley, Staffordshire this 1907 Hathorn Davey tandem compound pumping engine survives, with slide valved cylinders of 36" & 72" bore by 72" stroke.
Waterworks engines were generally installed in pairs (or sometimes two similar engines in the same house) and would run for long periods between servicing and repairs, one engine working the other being on standby in the event of a (rare) breakdown - the water supply could not be interupted.
These engines are not on regular display but may be viewed on application to the company.
Sadly, the two most magnificent horizontal tandem pumping engines I have ever seen were not under the care of the SSWC - their owners, the Cambridge Water Company had them summarily cut up for scrap and literally bulldozed out of their house - they can be seen now only in photographs such as those I have posted in in Damp Eye Corner.