Water Pump Collection

GWR fire brigade at Paddington Station taking part in a drill, c. 1940
This image shows members of the GWR fire brigade at Paddington Station taking part in a drill. Training was an important part of fire fighting and kept employees prepared in case of an emergency

Newtons rents off Twine Court in Shadwell - the centre of one of the worst slums in Stepney, London. When the picture of the three women

Shand and Mason's fire engine
5309998 Shand and Mason's fire engine; (add.info.: Engraving depicting Shand and Mason's fire engine, used by the London Fire Brigade. Dated 19th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Fire-fighters battle a blaze near Tottenham Court Road, London
5309997 Fire-fighters battle a blaze near Tottenham Court Road, London; (add.info.: Engraving depicting fire-fighters battle a blaze near Tottenham Court Road, London)

The Cow with the Iron Tail
5307885 The Cow with the Iron Tail.; (add.info.: Cartoon titled 'The Cow with the Iron Tail'. Watering milk was a common practice at the time, particularly in big cities. Dated 19th century)

A Merryweather & Sons fire engine
5309999 A Merryweather & Sons fire engine; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a Merryweather & Sons fire engine. This would be drawn to the scene of a fire by four horses)

barman standing by a locked and chained water pump as men drink beer
3666058 barman standing by a locked and chained water pump as men drink beer.; (add.info.: French 19th century illustration of a barman standing by a locked and chained water pump as men drink beer)

A small portable fire engine
5310005 A small portable fire engine; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a small portable fire engine carrying an initial charge of 36 gallons of water thus enabling it to attack a blaze without a delay)

Sectional view of a typical 18/19th century fire engine
5309996 Sectional view of a typical 18/19th century fire engine; (add.info.: Sectional view of a typical 18/19th century fire engine)

A chest fire engine
5309995 A chest fire engine; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a chest fire engine of the type in use in Holland during the 17th century. Dated 19th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

An engraving depicting Thomas Savery's steam engine of 1699 used for pumping water from mines
5311302 An engraving depicting Thomas Savery's steam engine of 1699 used for pumping water from mines. Double furnaces (right) with boilers, whose steam passes to cylinders (p,p)

An engraving depicting women of Spakenburg, Holland, fetching a supply of water, 19th century
5311189 An engraving depicting women of Spakenburg, Holland, fetching a supply of water, 19th century; (add.info.: Date: 1889); Universal History Archive/UIG.

The working of the handle of the pump
5310272 The working of the handle of the pump; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the working of the handle of the pump (a bent lever) in order to draw water

An engraving depicting Thomas Savery's steam engine of 1699 for pumping water from mines
5311355 An engraving depicting Thomas Savery's steam engine of 1699 for pumping water from mines. Double furnace (right) with boilers, whose steam passes to cylinders (P, P)

German Sanitary sign near Lodz, between 1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
German Sanitary sign near Lodz, between 1914 and c1915. A sign in German "Trinkwasser" (drinking water) next to a pump in Lodz, Poland during World War I.

Tommy Atkins at Etaples, between 1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Tommy Atkins at Etaples, between 1914 and c1915. Two British soldiers called "Tommys," helping some local residents at a water pump, E´taples, France, during World War I.

Water pumps, Beloomut, 1912. Creator: Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky
Water pumps, Beloomut, 1912. Uniformed men posed at a water pump construction site.

Water pumps, Kuzminskoe, 1912. Creator: Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky
Water pumps, Kuzminskoe, 1912.

Yamuna Ghat, early in the morning
Giovanni Cavalli

Tyrolean Landscape. Study, c.1836. Creator: Louis Gurlitt
Tyrolean Landscape. Study, c.1836

Distant Fronts, In Palestine; Drilling a Well, 1917. Creator: Unknown
Distant Fronts, In Palestine; Drilling a Well, 1917. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

Street in Hamburg. Study in Architecture, 1870. Creator: Wilhelm von Hanno
Street in Hamburg. Study in Architecture, 1870

"The House on Fire on Christmas Eve", 1860. Creator: Unknown. "The House on Fire on Christmas Eve"
"The House on Fire on Christmas Eve", 1860. Illustration from a short story published in "Illustrated London News", 1860

Allegory of the Catholic Church: Plenary Indulgences (Indulgences plénières), c.1790. Creator: Louis Jean Desprez
Allegory of the Catholic Church: Plenary Indulgences (Indulgences plenieres), c.1790. A monumental staircase, flanked by buildings, chapels carved from the rock, and an aqueduct leading to a church

At the Koepoort in Delft, 1819. Creator: Johannes Jelgerhuis
At the Koepoort in Delft, 1819

Inner Courtyard, 1820-1830. Creator: Andreas Schelfhout
Inner Courtyard, 1820-1830

Peasant Drinking; The Baltic Provinces of Russia, 1875. Creator: Unknown
Peasant Drinking; The Baltic Provinces of Russia, 1875. From Illustrated Travels by H.W. Bates. [Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, c1880, London] and Galpin

Quarters for infantry at the camp of Chalons - from a drawing by M. Beaucé, 1860. Creator: Unknown
Quarters for infantry at the camp of Chalons, [France] - from a drawing by M. Beauce, 1860. It must not be supposed that the barracks here represented are for all the infantry

After Milking Time, c1650. Creator: Hendrick van der Burch
After Milking Time, c1650

Pump in Ray-Street, Clerkenwell-Green, supplied from the Clerks Well, 1857. Creator: Unknown
Pump in Ray-Street, Clerkenwell-Green, supplied from the Clerks Well, [London], 1857. A relic of old Clerkenwell has just been removed...it is associated with, and is the representative of

The Waardpoort and the Oude Gracht in Utrecht, 1814. Creator: Jan Hendrik Verheyen
The Waardpoort and the Oude Gracht in Utrecht, 1814. Note water pump on right

Landscape with two men at a noticeboard near a water pump, c.1750-1808. Creator: Bartholomeus Barbiers
Landscape with two men at a noticeboard near a water pump, c.1750-1808

Crescent walk, Macatawa Park, Mich. between 1890 and 1901. Creator: Unknown
Crescent walk, Macatawa Park, Mich. between 1890 and 1901

The Rear Courtyard of Charlottenborg Palace, 1828. Creator: Frederik Hansen Sodring
The Rear Courtyard of Charlottenborg Palace, 1828

Cours-la-Reine market pump, 1802. Creator: Jean-Baptiste Bizard
Cours-la-Reine market pump, 1802

Petits ramoneurs se désaltérant à l'eau d'une pompe, vers 1830, c1830. Creator: Ecole Francaise
Petits ramoneurs se desalterant a l'eau d'une pompe, vers 1830, c1830

Notre-Dame Bridge and Pump, seen from the vault of Quai de Gesvres, 1816. Creator: Auguste Jacques Regnier
Notre-Dame Bridge and Pump, seen from the vault of Quai de Gesvres, 1816

Pont-Neuf and Samaritaine pump, seen from Megisserie quay, 1777. Creator: Nicolas Raguenet
Pont-Neuf and Samaritaine pump, seen from Megisserie quay, 1777

New cabins at Hill House, Mississippi, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
New cabins at Hill House, Mississippi

Water supply, Migratory camp for cotton pickers, San Joaquin Valley, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Water supply. Migratory camp for cotton pickers. San Joaquin Valley, California. American River camp

Water supply, American River camp, California, San Joaquin Valley, CA, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Water supply, American River camp, California, San Joaquin Valley

Barn and shed of farm in the Texas Panhandle, near Boise City, Texas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Barn and shed of farm in the Texas Panhandle. Near Boise City, Texas

Sketches of Pump, Washtub, Benches, n.d. Creator: Unknown
Sketches of Pump, Washtub, Benches, n.d

The Post-Office - painted by F. Goodall, 1850. Creator: Unknown
The Post-Office - painted by F. Goodall, 1850. Painting in the Exhibition of the British Institution, ...meant to indicate the arrival of an Indian Mail with the news of a dear-bought victory....It

The Pump, 1771. Creator: Jean Baptiste Le Prince
The Pump, 1771

Stock Sound, 1940. Creator: Eric Hallstrom
Stock Sound, 1940. Two workers carry out street work in a wintry Stocksund, outside Stockholm

A Golden work Hydroulic [sic] mining at Rockdrville [ie Rockerville], Dak, 1889. Creator: John C. H. Grabill
A Golden work Hydroulic [sic] mining at Rockdrville [ie Rockerville], Dak, 1889. Three men overseeing hydraulic equipment

Great Western Tender, No. W84, formerly No. 2641, 1941
Great Western Tender, No. W84 is featured in this official image taken in April 1941. Formerly No. 2641, this 4000 gallon engine tender was requisitioned by the Government for use with a fire

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"From Fire Drills to Slums: The Water Pump's Journey Through Time" In the bustling city of London, amidst the chaos of war in the 1940s, the GWR fire brigade at Paddington Station took part in a drill. As flames roared and smoke billowed, their trusty water pump stood tall, ready to extinguish any inferno that dared challenge its power. Meanwhile, Newtons rented off Twine Court in Shadwell, Stepney's notorious slum area. Amidst poverty and despair, a humble water pump provided a glimmer of hope for those living in dire conditions. It symbolized resilience and survival against all odds. Across the country in Truro, Cornwall during different eras - be it the 1920s or pre-1891 - Boscawen Street witnessed countless scenes where life revolved around an unassuming water pump. Whether it was Lloyds Bank bustling with activity or locals going about their daily lives, this reliable contraption played an essential role in sustaining communities. Venturing beyond borders into Namibia's arid landscapes near Keetmanshop revealed another facet of the water pump's significance. Here it quenched parched throats and nurtured crops amidst harsh desert surroundings. Underneath a mesmerizing Milky Way backdrop, this simple yet vital device became a beacon of life amid vast emptiness. Traveling across continents to America unveiled more captivating stories surrounding these pumps. In New Mexico's Questa vicinity during World War II era or Oregon's West Stayton camp inhabited by bean pickers' children - captured through Dorothea Lange's lens - these pumps were lifelines for communities struggling to survive. Further north in Washington state's Yakima Valley or California's Alameda County foothills during the Great Depression years also bore witness to how small farms relied on these pumps for sustenance. They represented determination and perseverance against adversity, as families fought to make ends meet.