Crampton Tower - Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 2AB.
Posted by: MeerRescue
N 51° 21.605 E 001° 25.997
31U E 390919 N 5691033
The Crampton Tower Museum, a Victorian water tower - The Broadway, Broadstairs, Kent,CT10 2AB.
Waymark Code: WMENQJ
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/20/2012
Views: 1
Crampton Tower was a water
tower built by Broadstairs native and renowned Victorian engineer, Thomas
Russell Crampton. The Tower, together with the a covered reservoir (called
the 'beehive' due to it's shape), obtained it's water supply from wells sunk
nearby, and an engineers workshop which housed gas fired pumping equipment, also
designed by Crampton, were opened in 1859
The gas fired pump drew water
from the 'beehive', up into the storage pressure tanks housed at the top of the
90 foot high water tower. It could hold 83,000 gallons of water (380,00
litres), and it supplied the private customers of Crampton's 'Broadstairs Water
Company' with water until it was taken over by the Broadstairs Urban District
Council in 1901. However, by 1912, by which time the town of Broadstairs had
grown considerably, and together with a contamination problem, believed to have
been caused by sea sand used in the cement lining of the reservoir, the supply
of water from Crampton's Tower was stopped, and replaced by a new supply from
further out of town.
The Tower now houses a museum
to commemorate the many other achievements of Thomas Russell Crampton, and is
custodian to many of his artefacts. The Museum website can be viewed
here.