Village pump

Our village is one of several along the fell side which were used by the London Lead Mining Company to house men working in the fell side mines in the 19th Century. One of the things that the Company did was to provide a system of piped water for the villagers. In our village we have a fountain and the remains of a few individual pumps, but in the nearby village of Hilton they still have some of the pumps and troughs, which would have run the length of the village street. The system is reputed to be England’s oldest piped water supply.

This picture shows one of these pumps in Hilton, complete with the hook on which a cup would have been kept, attached by a chain. A murky day, as you can see from the mist over the hills behind.

We learnt about these pumps from a history walk High Pike went on today. He has much more information about mining in the area. Have a look at the jig!