Hello my name is Dave and I'd like to take you on a tour through the Cambridge Museum of Technology. The museum was created when the old sewage pumping station closed down in 1968. Our aim is to preserve and restore the machinery on site to its former glory and also to collect other artifacts of local interest. The museum is run entirely by volunteers in their spare time.
The pumping station shows a progression of the developement of power, from
steam, through internal combustion, to electricity.
Behind
us as we enter the building is the sweet flowing River Cam, mind you, it
wasn't always so sweet, in fact back in 1890 it positively stunk! A dirty
fact Queen Victoria could no doubt vouch for.
When the Queen was visiting Cambridge, she asked the master of Trinity College...
'What are those pieces of paper floating in the river?'
The master replied...
'Those Ma'am are notices prohibiting bathing'.
At that time untreated sewage was flowing into the River Cam through a network
of collapsing and over used sewers. Several methods of resolving the problem
were investigated, varying from repair to complete replacement. The one
finally chosen was to deepen and widen the existing sewers and add a steam
pumping station to pump the drainage to the sewage farm at Milton.
The steam engines performed this task for 74 years, from 1895 to 1968.
So, virtual boiler suits on and join me as we explore the various rooms of this wonderful
old building. We hope that by utilising current technologies you can learn
a little about our heritage and of course we'll fill you in on our plans
for the future.
Starting outside we can see the cages that ran down to the sewers. Imagine if you
can, a well and bucket situation, Now picture a great black metal cage
in place of the bucket, this is our beast, this cage that caught the flotsam
and jetsam that flowed underneath Cambridge. A kind of early filter system
if you like, ensuring there was no pipe blockage down below. Spare a thought
for the poor urchin who cleaned the cage, as well as the general dickensian
detritus of the day he'd be pulling out all manner of carcass material.
Urggh, enough of that, let's go inside.
please click here to enter the