Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
 

The Pump House

Hamilton Dock

 
 
The Pump House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 14, 2019
1. The Pump House Marker
Inscription. The pump house, built c.1867, contained the important machinery used to empty the dock of water. Inside the pump house was a boiler and a steam engine, which drove one underground centrifugal pump. A tall brick chimney - to release fumes and create a draft for the furnace - once stood on the end of the building.

A furnace stoked with coal or coke heated water in a boiler, producing steam which drove the engine and in turn worked the pump.

When the caisson, or dock gate, was in place, the water was pumped out from the pump well and from there it was released through an outlet pipe into the sea.

It could take up to six hours to empty the dock of 3 million gallons of water.

[Bottom center diagram caption reads]

The steam engine drove an enormous 24-foot (7.3m) cogwheel.

This in turn drove a much smaller wheel, which drove a set of centrifugal pumps in the well. The pumps forced the water along the culverts and out of the dock.

[Illustration captions, from left to right, read]

Above
These original plans showing the boiler and pump well were drawn in 1865 by Benjamin Hick and Son of Soho Iron Works Bolton

Above These plans were meticulously drawn by hand to show the exact positions of the pump machinery
 
Topics. This historical marker is
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceNatural ResourcesWaterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1867.
 
Location. 54° 36.367′ N, 5° 54.713′ W. Marker is in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Marker is on Queens Road, on the left when traveling north. Part of the Titanic Belfast complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Hamilton Dock, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT3 9DT, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named The Pump House (here, next to this marker); Hamilton Dock By Numbers (a few steps from this marker); Queen's Island Shipyard / Belfast's Industrial Growth (within shouting distance of this marker); Building the Dock 1864-1867 / Belfast's Industrial Growth (within shouting distance of this marker); Queen's Island Shipyard / Hamilton Dock (within shouting distance of this marker); The Poop Deck (within shouting distance of this marker); Building the Dock 1864-1867 / Hamilton Dock (within shouting distance of this marker); Hamilton Dock Stone Construction (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belfast.
 
Also see . . .  The Hamilton Graving Dock
The Pump House and Markers image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 14, 2019
2. The Pump House and Markers
. (Submitted on June 18, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
 
The Hamilton Graving Dock and Caisson image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 14, 2019
3. The Hamilton Graving Dock and Caisson
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 142 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on June 18, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=135437

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024