Tees Cottage Pumping Station Homepage
History and Attractions
Open Days Information
Facilities
How to reach us
Member's Page
Recent Restoration Work at Tees Cottage
Contact Information for Tees Cottage Pumping Station
Links for Tees Cottage Pumping Station
Message Board
Guestbook
Mail Form
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Tees Cottage Pumping Station Coniscliffe Road, Darlington
 | Welcome to Tees Cottage Pumping Station's Website, Communigate website of the month for April 2003. After browsing through our site please sign our Guestbook. Should you need to contact us, please use the Mail Form (see Contents list).
Please see Open Days Information page for details of our next Open Day. |
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What is Tees Cottage Pumping Station?
 | From 1849 Tees Cottage Pumping Station revolutionized water supply in Darlington and Teeside by offering cleaner, piped water to inhabitants who had previously relied on wells and rainwater tubs. The engines at Tees Cottage pumped water from the River Tees, which was then filtered and supplied to the water company's customers.
The site's first steam engines and boilers have not survived. However, on Open Days at Tees Cottage you can still see the 1902 Lancashire Boilers, 1904 steam powered Beam Engine and 1914 Gas powered engine, all in operation and still pumping water from the River Tees (although no longer supplying the town's water!) We also have a Blacksmith's Shop, where demonstrations are usually given, and a Miniature Railway, with rides provided by Cleveland Association of Model Engineers for a small additional charge. Refreshments are available in our Tea Room.
Please view the History and Attractions Page for more information. |
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News from Tees Cottage
Our Open Days Information page now includes the dates of next year's Open Days. We have made a few changes to our usual calendar of openings and now offer five Open Weekends. We will no longer open in July, but have Open Days in June and September instead.
Visitors to Tees Cottage will have noticed our refurbished Entrance building, providing a more welcoming start to your visit.
At the Easter and May Open Weekends we displayed working model steam engines, which were left to us by the late Frank Woodall.
New for 2006 was the automaton 'Fred & Bob' which can be operated with a donation in the Beam Engine House. Bob stokes the boiler, providing steam for Fred to work the Beam Engine. Our many thanks go to Mr. Dennis Sutherland for 'Fred & Bob'.
The 'Fred & Bob' automaton at work. |  |
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Group Visits
If you are planning to bring a large group to one of our Open Days, please let us know. Either use the Mail Form or write to the address given on the Contact Information for Tees Cottage page. If you wish, we may be able to organize for you to have a guided tour of the site. Groups can also arrange for a static opening of the site at times when we are not normally open.
Tees Cottage is suitable for School Visits, as it can make a significant contribution to the studies required in the modern school curriculum. This particularly applies to science, art and decoration, social issues, public health and Victorian studies. School visits can if desired be arranged for the Friday or Monday either side of an Open Weekend, in order for the engines to be working. Please contact us for more information regarding this. |
New Guide Book for 2004
 The history, social context, buildings and machinery of the pumping station are extensively described in our Guide Book, on sale in the site shop and Darlington Tourist Information Centre.
4th Edition Guide books are also available by mail order, UK ONLY, £6.00 including p&p. Please enquire via the Mail Form if you would like to purchase a Guide Book by mail order.
Thanks to Mr Cedric Devonshire for some of the literature on the site. Thanks also to Mr Rupert Francis and Mr Jim Prentice for some of the photographs. |
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