Report - Bramley-Moore Pumphouse (Liverpool, Sept, 2017)

[urbanchemist]

One of the few remaining hydraulic towers in the Mersey docks, the others I am aware of being Langton, Stanley, Wapping and the huge one in Birkenhead. Built in 1883 (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1072981) it sits on a triangular plot with a smaller structure next to the main tower, on top of what was presumably the main engine house. Situated in a working sand storage facility (Mersey Sands/Cemex, but land probably owned by Peel) it is 'not accessible to the public'.

Dropped by on the way back from work to find that the Cemex guy was knocking off early as well (probably to the gym by the look of him) so lurked for a while then went in for a look. There are a couple of security cameras.

Circled the ground floor, but no obvious way into the tower with all entrances bricked up.

Looking through a window, part of the ground floor contains a substation.

However internal entrance to tower also bricked up.

So headed up the outside stairs…

..to the roof garden. Whole little microenvironment up here and rather a nice spot, hidden from the surroundings. Views of the main tower:

Sniffed the flowers etc. then over to the other building.

Not a lot to see in here but some nice views, west across the Mersey and south, renovation of the Stanley Dock tobacco warehouses still in progress.

And that's it. Disappointed not to have got into the main tower, but it seems to be all bricked up, and judging by the noise and the smell, home to many pigeons.

 

[Gone]

nice work! I always fancied a poke about in the tower.

 

[urbanchemist]

Work has finally started on the conversion of Bramley Moore Dock into the new Everton FC stadium, a project which may have been the final nail in the coffin for Liverpool’s UNESCO world heritage status.

Regardless, the accumulator tower has finally been opened, so almost four years after the original report I went see what was in there.


The tower has two sections - the main tower with a pointed roof and a shorter one on the side with a slanted roof and a large window.

I thought the shorter one might have some stairs or rooms in it, but in fact each tower once housed an accumulator.

And both towers were completely empty apart from the rails on which the weighted containers once ran.


For practical reasons it was necessary to do this visit at night, using as little light as possible.


Shorter tower, with buffer stops at the top visible.

Across to the taller tower.

So not much to see - the best examples of derelict but fairly complete accumulators are still in the Birkenhead tower, which like Bramley Moore, is now a building site.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Nicely done, I had a look at this a year back but similarly couldn't find access to the tower

 

[urbanchemist]

Nicely done, I had a look at this a year back but similarly couldn't find access to the tower

It's a bit trickier now there is on-site security.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

It's a bit trickier now there is on-site security.

We got up to building & on the "roof garden" too but that was it for us. Interesting they have started work on birkenhead too, what on earth are they going to do with that?

 

[urbanchemist]

We got up to building & on the "roof garden" too but that was it for us. Interesting they have started work on birkenhead too, what on earth are they going to do with that?

A 'maritime knowledge hub' or something, complete with glass box on top of the tower. Don't know if anything has happened inside yet though.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

A 'maritime knowledge hub' or something, complete with glass box on top of the tower. Don't know if anything has happened inside yet though.

Shouldnt worry then that will be closed in a few years & we will be able to explore that!