Wapping Hydraulic Power Station

Coordinates: 51°30′24″N 0°3′9″W / 51.50667°N 0.05250°W / 51.50667; -0.05250

Wapping Hydraulic Power Station
The pump room at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station (September 2006)

The Wapping Hydraulic Power Station (built 1890) was originally run by the London Hydraulic Power Company in Wapping, London, England. Originally it operated using steam, and was later converted to use electricity. It was used to power machinery, including lifts, across London. The Tower Subway was used to transfer the power, and steam, to districts south of the river.[1]

The surviving complex consists of the engine house, boiler house, water tanks, accumulator tower, reservoir, boiler master's house, seven 1950s throw ram pumps, a 1950s pilot accumulator, a gantry crane, two transformers and switchgear and is located at Wapping Wall.

The building was designated a grade II* listed building in December 1977.[2] After its closure as a pumping station on 30 June 1977,[1] the building was converted and reopened by Jules Wright as an arts centre (The Wapping Project) and restaurant (Wapping Food).[3] It held its first exhibition in 1993, and opened in a new form in 2000.[3] Exhibitions were mounted across the building including the Boiler House and the Engine House, with most of the original equipment still in place.

In 2013, the freehold of the building was sold to developers UK Real Estate Ltd.[3] The Wapping Project continues its work in the arts through commissioning new works from artists, but without the site that defined it for 20 years.

On the opposite side of the road, The Prospect of Whitby is a notable public house, on the northern bank of the River Thames.

References

  1. 1 2 Morgan, Roger (28 July 1977). "Watery Death of Electricity's Rival". New Scientist: 221–223.
  2. ↑ Historic England. "Details from image database (206335)". Images of England. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 Moore, Rowan (1 December 2013). "The Wapping Project: our obsession with house prices will turn our cities into cultural deserts". The Observer. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wapping Hydraulic Power Station.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.