SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Walk off the Brownberries through north Ives farm up the Moseley beck valley below Scotland Lane and you cone to a small square building at the end of the footpath through the farm

A large iron wheel sits on a sturdy but deteriorating wooden post. It's about a meter in diameter with four "spokes".

A "pump rod" type thing is offset from the centre and joined to a spoke such that it moves up and down as the wheel is turned.

The second rod is at right angles to the first joined on just below surface level and it seems to then disappear sideways into the ground.

Its clearly a mechanical devices that creates power through hand turning the wheel but I'm at a loss to know what. There is very little of this sort of thing about so it's quite a find, it's on a public footpath and worth a look.

Any ideas anyone

Did you take any photos Parksider?

Is it similar to this, in which case its a hand water pump

That's it Buffalo Skinner, I knew we had some great Industrial archeology genius's on here.

In yours the pump rod is offset on the "axle" instead of the wheel itself and frame mounted instead of post mounted.

There is a watercourse running down the Hill 100 yards on from the farm one but I am not aware of any water it may have pumped unless a well was dug, even then how do moving rods pump water upwards?

It may be just a repositioned relic, but good to discover.

One day I'll work out how to post photos!

The rods will go to a pump piston and cylinder at or near the local water level. This is because there is a limit to what depth a pump will "suck" from, governed by the air pressure which surrounds us (approx 14.7 lbs psi). Thus pumps will push liquids above them much more effectively than suck from below them. Theoretical maximum "suck" lift is 10.3m, practical limit will be considerably less.