The Ram House

The Ram House is a hydraulic ram house built around 1855 for Colonel Edward Lloyd, who owned the Lillesden estate, to supply water to the estate.

The exterior features a small square building made of red brick in English bond, topped with an elaborate cornice that includes a decorative band of black bricks and a pyramidal slate roof, which has been partially covered with corrugated iron sheeting in the later 20th century. One side has a round-headed arched doorcase with a stone keystone and impost blocks, rubbed brick voussoirs, and an original double ledged door. The other sides have round-headed arched windows, also featuring stone keystones and impost blocks, with most of the wooden multipane frames still intact.

Inside, the machinery is no longer present. The ram house is believed to have been built at the same time as the main house in 1855 and is depicted on the First Edition 25 inch OS map printed in 1870. Water was pumped from a spring using a hydraulic ram to a water tower located to the north of the main house, from where it descended by gravity to the house and stables. It is possible that the hydraulic ram was later replaced by a steam pump. Sales particulars from 1913 for Lillesden indicate that although mains water was available from around 1900, the estate's water supply was still in use at that time.

This building is a very early example of a hydraulic ram house for a private estate and is an extremely rare type of building, designed to match the style of the main house and water tower with which it is functionally connected.