Parish Pump - 1819 - St Paul's Churchyard, London, UK
N 51° 30.854 W 000° 05.954
30U E 701268 N 5711001
This hand-operated pump is located in a fenced-off area between St Paul's Churchyard (south) and Paternoster Square (north) and may be viewed through the railings from both sides. The co-ordinates are for the south where the inscription is visible.
Waymark Code: WMTF79
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/15/2016
Views: 1
The inscription on the south face of the pump reads:
Erected
by
St Faiths
Parish
1819
The pump is made from cast iron with the handle to the right when viewing the inscription. The water outlet is below the inscription with a cast iron trough on the ground in front of it. The pump was never used in this location but was moved here in 1975 from its former, "working" location. It is painted black with the lettering painted gold.
The Tired of London Tired of Life blog tells us:
Though the Church of St Faith has not existed for hundreds of years, St Faith's parish pump, dated 1819, still stands stranded by a fence between Paternoster Sq and St Paul’s Churchyard. The history of the parish of St Faith's is an interesting one. The original parish church of St Faith stood on the north side of Old St Paul’s until the 1250s, when we are told that it was demolished as part of work on the cathedral.
From the 1250s until the reign of Edward VI, the parish known as St Faith under St Paul's literally worshiped beneath St Paul's Cathedral, using a space the end of the west crypt under St Paul’s Quire. After this date the parish was united with St Augustine Watling Street. The pump was once situated against railings of St Paul's Churchyard close to St Paul's Cross, but was moved to its present position in 1973.
The pump is Grade II listed with the entry at the Historic England website confirming:
Dated 1819. Simple cast iron hand pump with trough. Shaped top. Inscribed "Erected by St Faith's Parish 1819". Formerly situated against railings of St Paul's Churchyard close to St Pauls Cross. Moved to present position 1973.