The Pump House, Rectory Wood: conserving a historic structure in Church Stretton

This year we completed a conservation project on the Pump House in Rectory Wood, Church Stretton, Shropshire, for Church Stretton Town Council.

A little history

The Pump House began life as a decorative Gothic folly, part of the 18th-century designed landscape of Rectory Wood and Fields created by the Reverend John Mainwaring.

It was later converted to pump the local water supply. Traces of that working life remain: stone and brick structural remains, fragments of iron pipe in the floor, and the yew-ringed pool and weir close by.

Today the ruins are preserved as a historic landmark within the local nature reserve, and with the stonework now stabilised, they can be enjoyed for years to come.

The work

We were contracted to rebuild the side walls of the Pump House to support its gable end. To keep the repair true to the original structure, our team recovered stone from the stream and the drained pool in Rectory Wood and built it back into the walls. The walls were laid in an NHL 5 lime mortar made with Blaenavon sand from Tŷ-Mawr Lime.

Partway through, we were asked to carry out extra work on the Pump House, and we finished the project earlier this year.

Getting to the site

The logistics were a difficult task, as access into the wood was very limited. Thanks to the Council’s grounds team, we managed to get all our kit up there, along with the security fencing to keep the site and the public safe while we worked.

Thank you again to Church Stretton Town Council for the opportunity to work on such a historic structure.