Comments on: The Pumps of Old London https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Fri, 02 Apr 2021 22:04:34 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Richard Quinnell https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-1372700 Fri, 02 Apr 2021 22:04:34 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-1372700 Nice to see the old St Faith’s Parish Pump shown here – it’s just outside the railings of St Paul’s Cathedral – although looking a little tatty.
My company Richard Quinnell Ltd restored this mainly cast iron pump sometime around the late 1960s – early 1970s – as far as my poor old memory serves.
After surviving from 1819, including the Blitz, the fasteners holding the panels together (it’s built out of flat panels, like a big box) had rusted away, and it was in danger of falling to bits. We took it off site to our workshops in Leatherhead, and when we took it apart we found quite a lot of odd paperwork had been ‘posted’ through the slot where the pump handle goes through – and was remarkably well-preserved: millinery and corsetry catalogues from the 1920s and 30s – but the most astonishing were a load of Reuters despatches – like telegraph forms (Reuters were one of the earliest international press agencies) – evidently the Reuters messenger boy sent to take these important news-flashes to the major newspaper offices in Fleet Street couldn’t be arsed to run the whole way, so posted them in the slot in the pump! The most remarkable of these documents was from Reuters’ agent in Vigo, the naval port in Western Spain – it described the arrival, in disgrace, of a Spanish Admiral who had been involved in the surrender of Cuba after the defeat of the Battlevof Santiago in the Spanish-American War in 1898 – describing how he had been pelted with oranges by an unsympathetic crowd! So we never knew!

We restored it to its former appearance – the working pump mechanism innards had disintegrated, and weren’t remade – and we stripped and rustproofed it, and finished it gloss black with gold leaf lettering. It looked very smart. It’s been moved a few yards since, and it would be nice to see it repainted and gilded. I can’t remember who the client was – we worked for the City of London Historic Buildings Dept, and also for the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral on a load of projects around that time. If anyone is particularly interested I can probably find the works records.

]]> By: Neil Evans https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-945938 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:22:00 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-945938 I think the Porter at Lincoln’s Inn may well have been pulling your leg. The Fleet is a combined sewer for most of its short length, emptying into several interceptors before finally reaching the Thames, the water is *definitely* not for drinking!

]]> By: peter https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-38108 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:02:40 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-38108 Chales Dikens is said to advised his frend Angela Burdet Coutes to buld columbia road buildings but he apparently loved fresh air so the buildings had no windows on each floor and the doors were of a loose fit angela burdet coutes leased the land to Sir HENRY WARTERLOW who was owner of waterlow paper manufactuers they did employ many local people my late father new the company very well as he worked for about an age and finished up running his companyin kingsland road they were called the superb box company

]]> By: peter https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-38106 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:45:15 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-38106 i am at the moment working my way thropugh the census material from 1851 up to 1901
my family are on the 1871 census living in bird cage walk at that time the farthest end was then called cranbtree row in its early years I have uncovered maps that show the naggs head pub that was the first stop of the london to norwich mail coachstood on land where my tailor had his shop it was called temples but changed its name to david london before it closerd down it was opposite goldsmith row in haggerston the VICTORIA COUNTY History puts the date that the bird cage pubnlic house was built was in the 1700s buit it was first called the red
lion
many thanks pete

]]> By: peter https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-38105 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:26:04 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-38105 I am surpresed you have not included the world famous victoria park drinking fountain paid for angelia burdet coutes the same lady who built or rather paid for the building of columbia road market then apart from LEOPOLD buildings that were built on old temament buildingds
these also still stand in columbia road columbia road markrt was built on that foul little heap that was known for its burkers and the death of the italian boyLEOPOLD BUILDINGS was built by the lord mayor of londonsir sydney wartolow he also left waterlow park to the people of london and let us not forget the guinness buildings that are now looked after by the
presant lord eiver who lives in elveden suffolk

]]> By: Jenny https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-36122 Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:01:06 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-36122 Here on the Isle of Wight we have annual well dressing events when the ancient water wells are lavishly decorated with images made from flowers. When I looked at these photos I thought how great they would look decorated and celebrated in the same way.

]]> By: Rebecca https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-36008 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:30:15 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-36008 Amazing!!! i would have walked past these pumps a billion times not realising why they are here or perhaps even that they are pumps!

Just wondered into your blog and its one of my top lists now! keep it coming! 🙂

]]> By: CornishCockney https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-35872 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:48:18 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-35872 Alice I’ve always wished that too. Carrying a bottle of water is such a pain when just a sip is needed to refresh. now and again.
I’m sure there used to be some around when I was a nipper, in parks at least.

]]> By: Mondo https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-35857 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:39:37 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-35857 I spent 3 years splitting my (work) time between the striped building behind the Aldgate Pump – and High Holborn, literally in front of the Bedford Row pump. Another post that’s revealed some incredible hidden history

]]> By: Alice https://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/01/10/the-pumps-of-old-london/#comment-35854 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:37:27 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=53521#comment-35854 I wish some of these could be connected to the mains to regain a life as drinking water fountains. I’d be interested to know if there are any working public drinking fountains in London? Like the distinctive green examples in Paris they’d be a real boom on a hot day and would undoubtedly reduce some of the unnecessary waste bottled water causes. Although I imagine it’d take a considerable PR campaign to get people to learn where they are and actually use them.

]]>