England-Reise Frühjahr 2011 [247]

Und über Allem immer wieder die Ruine von Cobbs Engine House:

Cobbs Engine House
Cobbs Engine House

Dazu noch einmal unser Wasserreiseführer:

„The End of Windmill End

Overlooking the southern portal of Netherton Tunnel stand the gaunt remains of what is known as Cobbs Engine House. Its actual name is the Windmill End Pumping Station. Sir Horace St Paul built it in 1831 to drain his mines where, as well as coal, iron stone and clay were extracted. Boilers, blast furnaces, open cooking hearths and brick kilns stood by the canal here, each contributing to the dirty and poisonous fumes which gave their name to the Black Country. […] What happened to the Cobbs beam engine is not entirely clear: for some years it appears to have lain derelict before being broken up for scrap. The fate of the great beam, which had a stroke of 8ft and a rate of 6 or 8 strokes each minute to operate a pump some 7ft in diameter in a shaft 522ft deep, lifting abut 400,000 gallons of water each day, remains a mystery. Many believe it broke free during removal and fell down the shaft, which was subsequently infilled.“ [Waterways Guide, Vol. 2: Avon, Severn & Birmingham (Cheltenham, 2009), S. 139]

Und an anderer Stelle [a.a.O., S. 137]: “ […] it was said if the engine ever missed a beat, a thousand women’s hearts missed one also.“

Related articles