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Summary

The Atmospheric Railway pumping station built in 1848 for the South Devon Railway designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It comprises the pump engine house and boiler house, both in Italianate style of coursed limestone with red sandstone dressings under a pitched slate roof.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1392516: THE PUMPING STATION

Other References/Statuses

• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PUMPING STATION (XIX - 1801 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

Dawson, W., 1846, Untitled Source (Illustration). SDV340299.

Photocopy of a watercolour of the pumping house at Totnes. Copy in Parish File.

English Heritage, 2007, The Pumping Station, Totnes (Report - non-specific). SDV340285.

The former atmospheric railway pumping house at Totnes had been part of a milk processing factory since the 1930s and closed in 2007. The pumping station was assessed for Listing as a Grade II building but was found to be incomplete without the machinery and chimney and it lacked architectural quality.

BBC News Website, Monday 10 March 2008, 13: 45 GMT, 2008, Brunel Icon Saved From Bulldozer, 15-16 (Article in Serial). SDV352747.

Pumping station saved from demolition by being granted listed status by English Heritage.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2008, The Pumping Station, Totnes (Correspondence). SDV340284.

The Pumping Station at Totnes was not considered worthy of Listing as it had been considerably altered both inside and out which further diminished the limited architectural interest of the building. Atmospheric railways were an unsuccessful technology and the pumping station at Totnes was never completed or put to its intended use and therefore was considered as architecturally incomplete.

Hawkins, B., 2008, The Pumping Station, Totnes (Report - Assessment). SDV340286.

In assessing the merits of The Pumping Station at Totnes as part of Brunel's atmospheric railway enterprise it was found that it was never completed as an operational site and was never fully equipped. It had been significantly altered and the chimney, which was its most prominent component, had been demolished compromising the architectural character and appearance of the site.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2008, Totnes (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV340319.

Totnes Pumping Station added to the list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Atmospheric Railway pumping house. 1848 for the South Devon Railway by I.K. Brunel. It comprises two blocks, the pumping engine house and the boiler house, set at right angles to the railway line at the east end of the Totnes station up platform. They are in an Italianate style and of course squared limestone with red sandstone dressings and pitched slate roof. Its chimney has been demolished.
The Totnes pumping house was never fitted out with a steam engine, although boilers were installed. Although never functioning as part of the atmospheric railway, its construction clearly demonstrates that Brunel intended to extend atmospheric working to Plymouth. The atmospheric system of traction involves the train being drawn along by a piston in a tube laid between the rails. Air was evacuated from the tube by a system of pumping stations along the route. To operate the system, 8 pumping houses were constructed along the proposed Exeter to Plymouth route. The line functioned atmospherically for a period between 1846-1848 between Exeter and Newton Abbot but due to major problems and faults the project was abandoned and replaced by locomotive power. The site, including the pumping house, was purchased by Daws Dairy in 1934 and incorporated into a milk factory.
Despite alterations, the Totnes pumping station is a rare survival of a small number of buildings associated with Brunel's atmospheric railway system. It is an important reminder of the dramatic changes in the mid 19th century transport, science and society and stands as a testimonial to the key pioneering an innovative role played by Brunel. The Italianate style reflects the Mediterranean qualities of the South Devon coastal landscape.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Atmospheric Railway pumping house. 1848 for the South Devon Railway by I.K. Brunel. It comprises two blocks, the pumping engine house and the boiler house, set at right angles to the railway line at the east end of the Totnes station up platform. They are in an Italianate style and of coursed squared limestone with red sandstone dressings and pitched slate roof. The south east gable end of the engine house has an altered opening to the ground floor and a large arched opening with rusticated voussoirs and a metal-framed window above. A sandstone band at sill level continues through the south gable wall of the attached former boiler house. There are four arched openings to the ground floor of the boiler house which are not blocked; the two left hand openings are obscured by a modern addition. There is a central keyed circular opening in the gable above. The projecting eaves to the south east gable ends are supported on brackets which are in turn supported on stone corbels.

The south west elevation of the engine house is of five bays. Historical photos indicate that it comprised five round-headed openings which are now blocked and the wall rendered. The rear (north west) gable end of the engine house has a similar opening to that of its opposing gable end but is far plainer. A tall round-headed opening is largely obscured by later additions and plant, and there is a circular opening in the gable; both openings have limestone surrounds. A historical photograph of the pumping house shows several contemporary attached structures running at right angles to the boiler house but these have been demolished as has its campanile chimney.

The interior of the engine house originally comprised a single large space to accommodate a beam engine. This has been subdivided by a mezzanine floor.

The South Devon atmospheric railway was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Brunel was appointed to the South Devon Railway in 1844 after the 52 mile project for the construction of a railway between Exeter and Plymouth was given Royal Assent. The Totnes pumping house was never fitted out with a steam engine, although boilers were installed. Although never functioning as part of the atmospheric railway, its construction clearly demonstrates that Brunel intended to extend atmospheric working to Plymouth. The atmospheric system of traction involves the train being drawn along by a piston in a tube laid between the rails. Air was evacuated from the tube by a system of pumping stations along the route. To operate the system eight pumping houses were constructed along the proposed Exeter to Plymouth route. The line functioned atmospherically for a period in 1846-48 between Exeter and Newton Abbot. However, serious problems befell the project due to atmospheric leakage, water ingress and faults with the equipment and it was abandoned and replaced by locomotive power. The South Devon Railway became part of the Great Western Railway in 1878. In 1934 the site, including the pumping house, was purchased by Daws Dairy and incorporated into a milk processing factory, a use which continued until 2007.

Reasons for Designation Decision; despite alterations, the Totnes pumping station is a very rare survival of a small number of buildings associated with Brunel's internationally renowned technological development of an atmospheric railway system. It is an important reminder of the dramatic changes in mid-19th century transport, science and society and stands as a testimonial to the key pioneering and innovative role played by England and in particular Brunel in this prequel to the modern industrialised world * Brunel's distinctive use of a rustic Italianate style which he chose as the common style for the South Devon Atmospheric Railway buildings reflects the Mediterranean qualities of the South Devon coastal landscape and contributes to its identification of as part of the `English Riviera'.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4377 - Assessment of The Pumping Station at Totnes

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