Early-C20 Hopwas Pump House

A pump house built in 1925 for Tamworth Waterworks(later taken over by South Staffordshire Waterworks),excluding the surrounding detached brick water treatment structures.MATERIALS:English-bond red brick with sandstone dressings,and a slate roof with coped verges.PLAN:rectangular plan on a north-east alignment.EXTERIOR:a single-storey building with a basement.A single-bay gable-end entrance that has giant clasping rusticated pilasters,a decorative cornice and a pediment with oculus.A flight of steps leads up to a round-arched doorway with a C21 timber-plank door.It is surrounded by a moulded architrave and a large cartouche key bearing the foundation date of 1925.Above is a wide ashlar panel under the cornice inscribed TAMWORTH WATERWORKS.The side elevations have four bays articulated by pilasters and tall round-arched windows with glazing bars.The basement level has in-filled segmental-arch window openings.The rear elevation has clasping pilasters,an oculus within the gable and a C21 door within a brick-arch surround.INTERIOR:the Tanyge horizontal steam engine has been removed.The metal gantry crane supported on pilasters survives,as does the braced steel-truss roof.The rest of the hall is largely empty,with a suite of stud-partitioned offices to the rear.The modern plant work and control centre are not of special interest.A flight of metal stairs leads down to the basements which contains the remains of the former engine tanks.There is also modern chlorine treatment machinery which is not of special interest.The detached brick water treatment structures to the north and west of the building are excluded from the listing.

*Pursuant to s.1(5A)of the Planning(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas)Act 1990(‘the Act’)it is declared that the modern machinery,including the control centre,chlorine treatments machinery and the rest of the modern plant works are not of special architectural or historic interest.