Eastney Beam Engine Museum

Eastney Beam Engine Museum

Pump house, boiler house and chimney, formerly part of Portsmouth Corporation Pumping Station, now Eastney Beam Engine Museum. Built in 1887 by Sir Frederick Bramwell. The buildings and beam engine were restored around 1980.

The structures are constructed in red brick laid in Flemish bond with yellow brick and stone dressings, and are roofed with steeply pitched Welsh slate. The boiler house features roof ventilators.

The pump house rises to two storeys with an attic and basement. Both the boiler house and pump house are divided into four bays. The north elevation shows the taller pump house on the right side, with flanking pilaster quoin strips featuring weathered blue brick plinths and yellow brick bands that terminate at the eaves with plain stone caps. A stone-coped facing gable crowns the structure. The central entrance is approached by five stone steps with flanking low curved brick walls capped in stone and terminating piers. The entrance itself comprises a recessed two-leaf moulded six-panelled door with radial glazed fanlight, flanked by fluted stone Doric pilasters. The doorway sits beneath an outer yellow gauged brick round arch with keystone bearing the City of Portsmouth crest, with a recessed inner gauged red brick round arch behind. Brick stepped buttresses flank the entrance, rising above the first floor window heads and capped with weathered stone. On either side of the entrance are thirty-pane metal casements with radial glazing at the head, set under gauged yellow brick round arches with keystones. Yellow brick bands run horizontally across the elevation below sill level and at impost level of the ground and first floor casements. The first floor carries four twenty-pane metal casements, each set beneath flat stone lintels with splayed arris and stone sills. The attic storey has three closely set metal casements under yellow gauged brick round arches with keystones: the central casement has twenty-four panes with radial glazing to the head, while the flanking casements each have twelve panes and radial glazing.

The south elevation mirrors the north in all respects. The west-facing right return contains four bays with similar detailing but includes two brick dormers, each with facing stone-coped gables and stone ball finials.

The boiler house adjoins the pump house on its left, featuring paired facing stone-coped gables with stone ball finials, and flanking and centre quoin strips similar to those of the pump house. Four blinded entrances, each set under gauged yellow brick segmental arches, mark this elevation. The first floor carries four twenty-pane metal casements with round radial glazed heads set under gauged yellow brick round arches with keystones. Within each of the paired gables is a circular radial glazed casement set within a gauged yellow brick circular arch with keystones at top, bottom and sides. The rear west elevation of the boiler house has a recessed boarded entrance door with fanlight set beneath a yellow gauged brick round arch with keystone.

To the left of the boiler house stands a circular red brick chimney set on an octagonal base with blue and yellow brick oversailing courses. Nine iron bands are fixed to the chimney and one to the base.

Internally, the pump house is supported by cast-iron columns with catwalks. The beam engine, restored around 1980, remains in working order as part of the industrial museum. The pump house, boiler house and chimney form a group with the engine house and gas engine house.