Day 10 25/5/16 Leicester

Day 10 Relaxing in Leicester

Today was a day to catch up on washing, shopping for essentials before heading off for Scotland.  Today we first attempted to sort out our phone access and get access to our prepaid VISA card.  We think we have solved the problems but....not convinced as yet.

Kaye kindly dropped Maritta and Noeline at the Leicester shopping mall and took Alan and Dale to the historic pumping station. 

The Pumping Station Museum (free entry) was very interesting and although it wasn’t operating the pump itself is spectacular. The main beam engine, which is still operational (but not today) is enormous and developed 200Hp at 12rpm. Not only that but it is beautifully decorated, even the castings themselves, although huge, are artistic in their form. The pump was used to transfer the city's sewerage to settling ponds outside the city.

Outside the Pump Station building

Enormous chimney for the Pumping Station, the sewage was pumped to settling ponds equivalent in height to the chimney

The other interesting engine was a wall engine, to save space it is built to operate vertically and to be mounted on the wall.

Wall engine at Leicester Pump Station Museum

Huge flywheel of the the Beam engine

The rest of the Museum is mainly concerned about sewerage and plumbing although there is also a large display of film projection equipment.

Maritta and Noeline's shopping trip was very successful.  We also managed a trip into "Agos" which is a very different way of shopping from the Australian point of view.