Chris Snuggs: "One thing has always struck me about this area. For buildings designed and constructed so long ago they have stood the test of time well, and are indeed with their different shapes and sizes all interestingly laid out with their various alleys and spaces. It was always a special place for me - and many others - because we did two of my favourite subjects there (music and woodwork) AND it was the home of the Sick Bay, with the wonderful staff we always had. Of particular interest is the water supply: something one takes for granted these days but which in former times was both hyper-critical and often complicated. WH being well above water level they had to have some way of pumping the water up to the estate buildings and then storing it. The magnificent water tower in the Stables Block took care of the latter, but the supply is somewhat of a mystery - and this page will gather evidence and theories about that! IHS Deputy Head of Operations Kevin Smith has sent us some photos of the (by me at least) previously unseen interior of the tower, and these can be seen here. One thing we HAVE all seen is the strange object in the photo below, which we always assumed was something to do with the old water supply. Can anyone shed any further light on this? Kevin Smith: “The guys say it’s something to do with the old well.” Steve Johnston - Hansons 59-64: "The puzzling thing is the window behind it. If the thing was put there later, why put it in front of a window? If the window was put in later, why put it behind the weird thing?" Eric Coates - Corners 57-64: “I feel sure it was a pressure vessel and part of the pipework from Pin Mill. It is on the likely line. Why wouldn’t the well be nearer the water tower? The arched brickwork appears to me to be to an opening to an underground room. This definitely needs explanation. It was obviously part of the invaluable water supply and now of archaological and historical interest.” Mark Frost - Hansons 70-77: "Kev, Do you know where the old well is? Somewhere in the courtyard I think, probably going back to when The Hall was on that site. When the water tower was built in the 1860s a higher pressure was needed so a hydraulic ram was installed on the stream that flows into the Orwell at Pin Mill. The ram, plus a pressure vessel, provided enough pressure to take water to the top of the tower.” |
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