St George's Pump House
I must admit I thought this had long gone, but scanning through a recent planning application I noticed a small block labelled "Pump House" was still showing. Looking into it further it seems that the building is to be refurbished to include repairs to all the glazed brickwork on the inside and the external shell, with new windows and doors where they currently sit bricked up. The building will be used as a bin and cycle store for the new mixed use development.
Let's rewind a bit... Luneside East sits immediately to the west of the Carlisle railway bridge and comprised a large nineteenth century mill fronting onto the road (St George's Works), various other mills behind that hemmed in by two railway embankments, and the gasometer.
The site had lain derelict for some years when in May 2012 St George's Works suffered at the hands of arsonists. The western section - due to be retained and converted - was set ablaze. Although the frontage was continuous, the eastern half was actually added a bit later, and when the demolition team moved in, this newer bit was demolished with everything that sat behind it.
Also lining the quayside frontage was the former gas works buildings (below), which would have been nice to convert had they not also been demolished. I'm not against progress, but it seems that an awful lot of Lancaster heritage has been removed of late, with the new additions only serving to detract from the whole 'Historic City' thing.
In case you're wondering at this point, further down the quay the old Lune Mills site has also now gone, with a housing estate rising from the rubble apace.
St George's Pump House: The explore
I put my head round the door a few weeks ago when I first read the planning application for the imminent building work, but in the murkiness of first light it looked pretty trashed so I left again. This time though I wandered in in broad daylight to get some shots while a local argument rages on around the plans. The now largely cleared site is pictured below, reflected in the water that sits in the footprint of the former gasometer.
The remains of St George's Works are to be converted but don't figure on any plans at the moment, the focus being on the new houses. The mountain of rubble - as is now standard practice - must be reused on site. The fire ravaged mill is in a pretty sorry state with nothing really of any note. The Pump House however is worth a look if you're passing. On to the internals:
So there you have it. I'm surprised it's actually being retained but it's a nice nod to Lancaster's heritage that's all too rare.
Thanks for looking
I must admit I thought this had long gone, but scanning through a recent planning application I noticed a small block labelled "Pump House" was still showing. Looking into it further it seems that the building is to be refurbished to include repairs to all the glazed brickwork on the inside and the external shell, with new windows and doors where they currently sit bricked up. The building will be used as a bin and cycle store for the new mixed use development.
Let's rewind a bit... Luneside East sits immediately to the west of the Carlisle railway bridge and comprised a large nineteenth century mill fronting onto the road (St George's Works), various other mills behind that hemmed in by two railway embankments, and the gasometer.
The site had lain derelict for some years when in May 2012 St George's Works suffered at the hands of arsonists. The western section - due to be retained and converted - was set ablaze. Although the frontage was continuous, the eastern half was actually added a bit later, and when the demolition team moved in, this newer bit was demolished with everything that sat behind it.
Also lining the quayside frontage was the former gas works buildings (below), which would have been nice to convert had they not also been demolished. I'm not against progress, but it seems that an awful lot of Lancaster heritage has been removed of late, with the new additions only serving to detract from the whole 'Historic City' thing.
In case you're wondering at this point, further down the quay the old Lune Mills site has also now gone, with a housing estate rising from the rubble apace.
St George's Pump House: The explore
I put my head round the door a few weeks ago when I first read the planning application for the imminent building work, but in the murkiness of first light it looked pretty trashed so I left again. This time though I wandered in in broad daylight to get some shots while a local argument rages on around the plans. The now largely cleared site is pictured below, reflected in the water that sits in the footprint of the former gasometer.
The remains of St George's Works are to be converted but don't figure on any plans at the moment, the focus being on the new houses. The mountain of rubble - as is now standard practice - must be reused on site. The fire ravaged mill is in a pretty sorry state with nothing really of any note. The Pump House however is worth a look if you're passing. On to the internals:
So there you have it. I'm surprised it's actually being retained but it's a nice nod to Lancaster's heritage that's all too rare.
Thanks for looking
Last edited:
The 6D is great at high ISOs but it doesn't sit properly on anything other than a sturdy tripod. Could have done with that on the later sites yesterday but I think I've got a good set. Will post some reports in the next couple of days!
