Click for Site DirectoryAbbey Mills Pumping Station
Picture
from THAMES WATER Abbey Mills Pumping Station cc. 1940
Abbey Mills East Chimney
This is the East Chimney shortly before both chimneys were taken down and it dates from the early 1940's. It has the photo of a barrage balloon in the
top left corner. They were approx 210 feet tall so they towered over Abbey Mills Pumping Station. The venting chimneys were no longer in use during
the 1940's as the station had switched over to electricity as its primary fuel source. The war office decided that the risk of one or both of the chimneys
being hit by German bombs in WW2 would cause the chimneys to topple onto the station, and this would have badly damaged the station if not
completely destroying it, so they were unfortunately taken down.
This is such an interesting story but goes to show that those manning the balloons were protecting areas that were quite serious targets and thus were in
the front line of events.
Picture and information Courtesy of:Matthew Wood
Wastewater Archivist
Technical Information
Tel. 0118 3738509 (38509 internally)
Fax. 0118 3738696 (38696 internally)
E-mail: matthew.wood@Thameswater.co.uk