Lake Farm Pumping Station, Old Bedford River

Introduction

photos: Peter Cox; left, Mar 2011, Olympus DSLR E-410; right: Feb 2013
Long views from road to Welmore Lake. L: 2011; R: 2013 with green "box"

This small pumping station on the eastern bank of the CD/OBR 1¼ miles south-west of Salters Lode is privately owned and operated. It drains and irrigates Lake Farm, an arable area that was part of the Hundred Foot Washes floodwater reservoir from its formation in the 1650s to 1750-ish when It became separated by the Delph River and its high bank being cut diagonally across the washes to Welmore Lake Sluice.

An official drawing in 1996 showed the output to be 0.3 m3/sec (cumecs) not much less than Upwell Fen PS

Management

This pumping station (PS) is privately owned but I've not established by whom.

History

Many windpumps -windmills driving a scoopwheel - were built in the fens in the period 1750s-1880s. They were often replaced by steam-engines, which in turn were superceeded by diesel power, and then by electricity where high-voltage supplies available. Coal and oil could be supplied by riverbarge if no suitable roads.

Unfortunately I've found nothing of this station's history online, but maps have provided some basic information.

The 1828 Wells map shows a windmill at this location and I believe it likely that one would have been here since the 1750s, powering a scoopwheel.

The OS 25-inch map of 1890-1910 doesn't show a windpump or its site, but it does show two buildings since demolished, which I assume was a steam-powered plant with either a scoopwheel or a centrifugal pump.

The latest large-scale OS map I've found shows the brick building seen in the photos on this webpage, but not the green container-box installed between 2011-13, which draws water from the river into and out of adjacent reservoir/fishing lake. It is obviously the hub of the area's irrigation system, and may perform a drainage role as well.

Lastly, satelite images from Google and Apple, both showing the engine house and green box.

I first saw the engine house from a distance in 2011 and explored the site in 2013 and 2026 taking many photos and finding structures not shown on maps or satellites. I also took photos from a boat on the Old Bedford River in 2017 and 2018. A very small selection of those photos are on this page.

I have seen also photos of machinery inside the engine house, but cannot tell what it is, or whether a complete motor and pump set, or parts of either. Some strange diesel engine perphaps, or an elderly industrial electric motor?

I have used all the above with assumptions and guess-work to produce this map.


The sandy coloured building is the only existing building. White items are the structures I found, the grey buildings represent the demolished buildings, in approx locations shown on the 1890s map.

The black double-lines are water pipes. The thicker ones old iron pipes, 20-24" diameter, the thinner ones are 6" plastic or metal.

Disused pump house

This brick building with slate-tiled roof hasn't operated as a pump house for many years. It is situated on the side of the bank on a very thick concrete slab with the front end level with bank top. All windows bricked-up or boarded over, and a single door on south side. The inlet is disconnected from the field drains, the outlet into the river is blocked off, and the pump was in very poor condition when seen in 2013. Its only function seems to be to receive electricity from the grid and distribute it around the site.

An official drawing of all PSs discharging into OBR in 1996 showed the output to be 0.3 m3/sec (cumecs) not much less than Upwell Fen PS. I dont know which plant on this site the figure was for.
photos: Peter Cox; Jan 2026 Olympus E-PL7
Left: south side with door. Note brickwork under right end of slab.
Right: front-side, electricity supply and cable to control box inside
Note the very thick concrete slab
photos: Peter Cox; left, Dec 2013, Olympus E-620; Right: Jan 2026, Olympus E-PL7
Left: rear with intake pipe. Unidentified brickwork bottom left and right, maybe from earlier building?
Right:

Motor

I've visited many dozens of pumping stations in the Fens, and this is the oldest non-steam engine I've see in situ. It was probably made in the period 1910-1920.
Its a low-speed, horizontal air-cooled oil engine, driving an external crankshaft which turns large wheels used to power equipment by belt.
It appears to be fitted with a fuel-injection pump leading to 2 or 3 injectors, which suggest this is a high compression diesel engine rather than the similar looking low compression ones.
all interior photos: anon, 2013, digital slr with flash
Left: much of the engine hidden by red girder.
Note removed windows against wall
Right: in front of motor an array of wheels and central crankshaft under the wide cover. far right wheel driving belt to pump, left one maybe to a ???

on left, electricity supply to relatively modern (1960s?) wall mounted metal control box. Key switch on/off, start, stop, heater, meter reading from zero to 60 A. (amps?) and a Venner digital hours-run recorder which must be pre-1970 when the company was acquired by AMF and products marked as AMF Venner.
I wonder whether this box controled another motor?
On right, a pair of antique-looking Arkon wooden-faced meters, recording metres from zero to 3.0m. 'Metres' suggests continental manufacture. My guess is that they recorded water heights or depths of the field drain and river. However, there appears to be copper pipes to/from the pump. The current Arkon company is only 20 years old, based in Checkosloakia, specialising in flow meters.

pump

photos: anon, 2013, digital slr with flash
Left, belt from motor driving pump; inlet pipe through wall; valve.
Right: drive wheel; inlet pipe; valve; pump; outlet through floor
I think the valve controls the outlet.

outfall sluice

photos: Peter Cox, Jan 2026, Olympus E-PL7
Left: front of blocked up outlet sluice. Right top seen from above

Past

photos: Peter Cox; left, Mar 2011, Olympus DSLR E-410; right: Feb 2013, E-620

Pump intakes

photos: Peter Cox; left, Mar 2011, Olympus DSLR E-410; right: Feb 2013, E-620

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Outfall sluices

visible outlet

photos: Peter Cox, Jan 2026, Olympus E-PL7
above left, 24" pipe with syphon valve, probably from a steam pump; disconected 6" pipe and replacement section installed below, probably irrigation inlet controlled from electric switch on post.
photos: Peter Cox, Apr 2017 on-board NB Olive Emily, Olympus E-PL1, .
Outlet is via an iron flap-gate, hinged at top, automatically opened by force of pumped water.

hidden possible outlet