Volunteers mark John Rennie's Claverton pump 200th anniversary with waterwheel refurbishment

Volunteers working on the refurbishment of a huge waterwheel in Bath have taken a brief pause to mark its 200th birthday.

John Rennie's Claverton water-powered pump was operational for the first time on March 13, 1813.

Now a band of volunteers are working hard to rebuild the 24ft wide waterwheel to make sure it is passed on to the next generation in a good condition.

They are currently replacing almost 300 wooden sets, or short spokes, to which the wheel floats are fixed.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk

myprint-247

View details

Print voucher

Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.

Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk

Contact: 01858 468192

Valid until: Sunday, May 26 2013

This is a time-consuming and delicate procedure so the hard-working team only had time to pause and mark the wheel's 200th birthday, instead of staging a larger occasion.

However, there will be time for celebrations when the grand reopening takes place, with the pump once again performing its original duty of pumping water from the River Avon into the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The refurbishment work has been delayed because of poor weather last year, so the Claverton Pumping Station is closed to the public during 2013 while the work takes place.

However, guided tours can still be given to pre-booked groups and individuals.

For more information about the project, as well as updates on the rebuilding scheme, go to www. claverton. org.