History
The Norfolk Broads is a flat and naturally beautiful area. Its landscape includes a wide network of rivers, ditches, and marshes. Like the Fens, it often floods during winter, so it depends on pumping stations to control the water. In the past, windmills were used to stop flooding, but as technology advanced, powered pumps took over.
Before this current building was built, there was a drainage mill here in the 18th century. The site has a simple corrugated building that houses a large electric pump and motor, along with a switchgear box. The motor was made by Metropolitan Vickers (Metrovicks) in Manchester and Sheffield, producing 22 brake horsepower and running at 480 revolutions per minute. The serial number indicates it was made in 1936. Metrovicks produced a wide range of industrial electrical equipment, such as turbines, generators, switchgear, and transformers. The company was taken over by General Electric Company (GEC) in 1967.
