Restoration of historic Papplewick Pumping Station under way

The Papplewick Pumping Station dates back to the 1880s

A historic pumping station is undergoing a £580,000 renovation to fix "extensive" structural issues.

Historic England said Papplewick Pumping Station in Nottinghamshire may be the most complete Victorian fresh water pumping station in the country.

The project, which started in February, aims to repair the 120ft tall chimney, the engine house's ornate wooden porch and the site's boundary wall.

Museum director Ashley Smart said the project was a "big job".

Completed in 1884, the station helped to supply people in Nottingham with clean water until 1969, before opening as a museum in 1975.

The site is due to celebrate its 140th anniversary this year.

Museum director Ashley Smart said parts of the pumping station could have collapsed without attention

"It's done very well," Mr Smart said.

"It couldn't have just been a simple building, it had to have lots of decoration and detail."

The pumping station was one of more than 70 cultural organisations across the country to be given a financial boost by Arts Council England in 2023.

Arts Council England's museum estate and development fund gave the project a total of £518,000, and a further £58,840 has been put forward by the pumping station's landlord, Severn Trent Water.

The museum will cover the remaining funds.

About 12,000 people a year visit the pumping station

Mr Smart added: "Little flecks of brickwork were actually falling off the chimney, so we had to put a barrier around it so it didn't fall on people. This will rectify all of that.

"The same with the engine house porch, if it had been left any longer, it would have started to collapse on its own."

About 12,000 people a year visit the pumping station, which will remain open while the work - which is due to conclude in July - is finished.