Prickwillow Drainage Engine Museum

The Fens, characterised by their rich black peaty soil have not always been as they are today. At the end of the Ice Age the area was covered in thick forest with the sea some 30 metres below its present level. As the ice melted the sea rose, the wet swampy conditions led to the death of the forest and the peat, the main characteristic of today's Fen, began to form.

The Romans used substantial areas of the fenland for agriculture and in order to do so had to undertake drainage work. Although there is little knowledge of these it can be assumed that it would have been quite small. The drainage need would not have been so complicated as today because, at that time, the surface was 20'0" higher than the present land level. It was therefore above sea level and only a gravity drainage system had to be constructed.

Until the mid 17th Century, the fens were vast tracts of sedge covered swamp with giant patches of reeds, willows and alders covering many acres. It was a lonely place, at times quite frightening with "will o' the wisp" in the twilight together with the burps and gurgles as methane gas erupted through swampy waters. The areas were only inhabited by wildfowlers and fishermen, hardy folk known as 'Fen Tigers'. It was the place to which people came to cut prickets or skewers of willow for holding down thatch, hence the name given to the village, Prickwillow. Major settlements were on higher ground such as the Cathedral City of Ely, which in those times was almost an island surrounded as it was by marshy land.

In 1634, a group of Fenmen known as "The Adventurers", assisted by the Dutch engineer, Cornelius Vermuyden cut the Old Bedford river by agreement with the Earl of Bedford and the drainage of the Fens began.

Shrinking Land

As the land was drained the peat shrunk and minor ditches became lower than the main channels. The silt-lands around the Wash hardly shrank at all and by 1700 the outfalls of the major rivers were higher than the peats they were supposed to drain.

Windmills, driving scoop wheels, were use to pump the water with limited success, but in 1820 the situation was transformed by the introduction of a Watts steam engine to drive the scoop wheel at Bottisham Fen. Others soon followed and a new channel was dug for the Ouse, the Eau Brink Cut near Kings Lynn, together with a series of sluices to control the release of the river into tidal waters ... The Fens, as we know them today were born ...

Pumping Power

A succession of pumping engines have been sited at Prickwillow; the Side Lever Steam Engine in 1831 was followed by the Beam Steam Engine in the 1880's (both of which are lost). This was replaced by the magnificent 1929 Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day Diesel, which was used until the 1970's when its work was taken over by modern diesel and electric pumps. This impressive machine is now the centrepiece of our Museum and can be seen working on special run days.

The Museum and Its Engines

The Museum was originally set up in 1982, by a band of enthusiasts who formed a Trust whose aim was to save, restore and preserve this vital piece of our Industrial heritage. "The Friends of the Engine", a group of working volunteers have over the years restored and rebuilt the original 1929 Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day Diesel 5 cylinder engine, together with the second largest engine, a Vickers Petter. Also on show are a single cylinder Ruston and a three cylinder Allen which form part of a unique collection of rescued diesel engines from pumping stations in the district. An impressive display of the engineering achievements of a bygone age.

There will be special run days when as many engines as possible will be demonstrated running, (see Opening Times)

The Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day Engine

In the 1920's the churn pump had not the lift required and diesel power was quickly being developed to supersede steam power. Starting was initially very much quicker, maintenance of power was regular and, perhaps most important, very much cheaper.

The Soham or Middle Fen Commissioners decided, after much deliberation, to install the 5-cylinder Mirrlees diesel engine driving a 42" centrifugal pump and this began its working life in July 1923.

In 1958 the writing was on the wall for the Mirrlees engine as drainage pumping switched to electric pumps. The Mirrlees, although no accurate records are available, probably ran for an average of 1,200 hours each year, a total of 42,000 hours. From 1958, until the final retirement, the Mirrlees operated for a further 2000 hours.

Built onto the end of the Mirrlees is a large compressor. During normal running of the Mirrlees this will restore the pressure in the large bottles (used to start the engine) once the engine has started.

The Vickers Petter

Acquired by the Museum in 1984 from Southery Fen, where it used to drive a drainage pump until about 1957. It is an unusual two cylinder two stroke, of 200 brake horse power. After many years of careful work it has been reassembled in the Museum and was started up at a Run Day on the 18th June 1989 after thirty years of silence! Starting up is quite dramatic as it involves lighting the two enormous blow lamps at the top of the cylinders which heat the glow plugs, the engineer then has to judge the right moment to use the precious compressed air to turn the engine over and start it.

The Ruston

This engine was still running until it was dismantled to come to Prickwillow in 1985. It had driven a drainage pump connected to the far side flywheel from about 1930 in Acre Fen, Chatteris. It is a single cylinder, mechanical injection, of 36 brake horse power. It is interesting to note that as with all these engines, they were not specifically designed for drainage purposes and some of the older members of the Museum Trust recalled, in 1990, that a similar engine to this was tucked into a shed just off the market square in Ely. It was used to drive the generator for the old cinema (located where Boots the Chemist now have their store). Presumably, the local mains electricity supply could not handle the load needed to run the projectors and their lamps.

The Allen

This 76.5 brake horse power engine drove a drainage pump on Soham Mere from 1939 to 1980. There are photographs in the display showing it being dismantled and moved to the Museum site. The bricks of the old engine house were also moved close by and are now part of the bungalow next door to the old pottery. Moves to install the engine in the sitting room of the bungalow were resisted.

The Smaller Engines ... and their uses.

The Listers

Just behind the Mirrlees and the Allen is a small Lister diesel engine which can be started by hand cranking. This is connected by a belt to a small air decompressor which primed the Allen pump before the Mirrlees engine was started.

The other small engine is near the Vickers Petter and it drives a compressor which restores the compressed air used to start the Vickers.

The Building

The "engine house" as is the common name of these buildings was originally constructed in 1880 to house a beam engine. The date of construction is clearly recorded by the stone seen from the inside near the front west wall. The initials G.L.A. were those of the son of the then Clerk to the Board, Goodwyn Luddington Archer, who was eight years old at the time.

Other interesting features high on the front of the building are the initial of the builders who each carved a brick to record their involvement in the construction. A further example of this can be seen at the modern Prickwillow Village Hall, where a number of the bricks record a donation to the building fund by families in the village.

Old records and plans show the house is build on piles, assumed to be timber, with a timber crown tree planking. This was covered with 2'0" of concrete. A series of dwarf walls were then built on this base concrete at the east end which were subsequently concrete filled to accommodate the two boilers. At the west end the vertical spindle churn pump was constructed in a brick-lined "well" some 15'0" deep in the position of the present Allen pump and below the 2'0" base concrete. The beam engine, which ran at 38rpm, was also constructed on the concrete base floor.

How a Diesel Engine Works

(For the younger generation or less technically minded)

A cylinder with a piston sliding up and down inside it turns a crank and the shaft in a similar way that your legs (piston shafts) push a bicycle pedals round which turns the chain wheel and drives the rear wheel.

The diesel engines power is derived from an explosion in the top of the cylinder of a diesel oil and air mixture. This is squirted (injected) into the space at the top of the cylinder just at the right time in the cycle. Once the engine is started the explosions continue and the engine keeps turning. There is no spark plug, as in an ordinary petrol engine, the explosion is caused by the heat generated by compressing the diesel/air mixture. After the explosion the exhaust gases expand rapidly, driving the piston down. The engine's flywheel keeps the turning motion going so the cycle is repeated.

The engines in the Museum have to be started by blowing compressed air into the cylinder to overcome the inertia and get the flywheel moving. This works well, unless the air runs out before the engine starts. If this happens then one of the smaller engines is employed to pump the air cylinders up again. The smaller engines can be started by hand cranking. The Vickers Petter needs help with the first explosion. This is created by igniting the diesel/air mixture with a "glow plug" heated externally. This leads to the impressive sight and sound of the blow lamps roaring when the Vickers Petter is being run.

Other Features

The building which houses the engines was extended and improved in 1995 to provide a viewing gallery, toilets, tea room, souvenir shop and car parking. Further improvements are planned for the future to provide extra space for more exhibits and displays.

There are display areas showing collections of old tools and implements associated with the drainage of the Fens, and numerous photographs depicting life in the Fens.

The Engine Museum Story

A PAL VHS video Prickwillow Drainage Engine Museum: The Transformation 1993 - 1996 by Basil L Gooch is available from the Museum shop. It documents the building works, completed in 1995. We have captured some screen shots from the video to form our current photo album (approx 1Mb).

Drainage Engines of the Fens

We now have a new PAL VHS video for sale called "Drainage Engines of the Fens" which gives a brief history of Fenland drainage followed by detailed shots of the starting and running procedures for the engines in the collection. Running time 60 minutes . Price £17.50 + £1.50 p.&p. to

Prickwillow Drainage Museum , Main Street, Prickwillow, Ely,Cambs. CB7 4UN

or telephone Les Walton on +44 (0) 1353 720419 after 7p.m. for further information.

Friends of the Engine

If you would like to help us achieve our goals you too can become a "Friend of the Engine", membership fees are £10.00 for Working Members (those who wish to be actively involved in restoration and maintenance of the engines) or £15.00 for a season ticket, £30.00 for a family season ticket both giving you unlimited access to the museum for the whole year (details from the Organiser).

Please sign our visitor's book

Location

Situated in the heart of Cambridgeshire's Fenland in a landscape of dramatic open skies, rivers and dykes. The village of Prickwillow is on the B1382 just 4 miles east of Ely and its famous Cathedral. Other attractions in Ely include Oliver Cromwell's house. The Stained Glass Museum within the Cathedral and Ely Museum. Not forgetting delightful walks along the River Ouse. The City of Cambridge, with its wealth of colleges and museums is just a half hour drive south. Forty miles to the north lies the Wash and the Norfolk coast. Find us on OS Landranger sheet 143: TL5982.

Nearby places of interest include historic houses of Oxburgh Hall, Sandringham and Anglesey Abbey and the lavender farm "Norfolk Lavender" at Heacham, whilst lovers of wildlife may like to visit Welney Wildfowl Reserve or Wicken Fen. And very close to Prickwillow is the Race Track and the National Horseracing Museum at Newmarket.

Other Engines

Why not visit Stretham Beam Engine, Denver Sluice and Windmill, and Cambridge Museum of Technology, to name but a few.

We have also forged links with; Kew Bridge Steam Engine Museum in London.(They have both a Ruston and an Allen engine installed.) And Ryhope Engines Museum near Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

How to Get Here

The museum is located by the bridge overlooking the River Lark. There is an Anglian Water 48 hour mooring nearby.

Free parking on site

Behind the museum building

Group Visits

Group visits are welcomed by arrangement with the Museum, provided volunteers are available.

Disabled Access

Virtually all the Museum is accessible to wheelchair users.

Further Details

For further details and group bookings Tel: +44 (0) 1353 688 360, or write to the Museum at Main Street, Prickwillow, Ely, Cambs. CB7 4UN

The operation of vintage machinery is always subject to uncertainty and whilst every effort will be made to run the engines as advertised, the Trustees cannot be held responsible for any inconvenience arising from non or partial operation on any given day.

Some text: © 1982, 1996 Prickwillow Drainage Engine Museum
Site updated May 2006

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