WATER PUMP

This large water pump raised water from a spring either in or above the graveyard. At the time the chapel was built, no one had running water in their houses. Some had pumps like this one in the kitchen and there were also communal pumps in yards and in the street.

Ironically, in the north of England, more effort was put into using water as a source of power for industry than was put into providing safe and clean water for human consumption. Diseases such as cholera and typhoid were a major cause of death and are linked to dirty water.

Water from this pump was directed around the building through lead pipes.

Exposure to lead in drinking water can lead to kidney, heart and circulatory issues and may be implicated in behavioural problems in children.

Water was used in the chapel for making tea and for filling the baptismal pool in front of the pulpit.

Public water pump Llanidloes