Pumping Houses at Cropston Reservoir Water Works, Bradgate Road, Cropston (Grade II)

Two pumping houses of 1870 and 1894. By J B Everard of Leicester. Red brick with stone dressings and slate roof. In Tudor style with shouldered stone coped gables, stone band rising to form hoodmoulds over ground floor windows, hoodmoulds and label stops to first floor windows and buttresses with set offs to sides. Complex consists of a two storey and basement 1870 pumping house (formerly beam engine), gable facing, with a two storey and basement 1894 pumping house (formerly triple expansion engine) at right angles to rear right. A one storey connecting building stands in angle where also the octagonal chimney tower, partly truncated, now of c30m. To rear of 1870 house a one storey former boiler house building facing left. 1870 house has five polygonal stone steps leading up to stone doorcase with moulded Tudor arch and columns to sides. Two leaved door. Painted stone tablet carved with Leicester City arms over. Above is a 5 light stone mullion window with ?Erected 1870? in stone over. 1 light window in gable. Three 3 light windows on both sides of building, those on ground floor with transoms. On rear 5 light window similar to front. Elaborate cast iron flashings and small lucarnes with finials to roof. Openwork stone parapet. This parapet with blank carving continues round tower. At summit a similar parapet over corbelled stone top. Below the one storey connecting building has stone steps up to door. 1894 house on gable end facing right has six polygonal stone steps up to stone Tudor style doorcase with elaborately carved foliage, Leicester City arms and A.D. 1894. 5 light window above. To both sides three mullion and transom windows to ground floor and three 1 lights above, the architraves of which are connected to the parapet arcading. 1st floor 5 light to rear. Boiler house range of one storey and attic, four gables facing, that to left of 1894. Other three roofs have elaborate cast iron flashings and small lucarnes with finials. Below four pairs of carriage doors with hoodmoulds and label stops and 1 lights above, the first floor band rising to form their hoodmoulds. Stone coped gables. Further similar one storey building to left and rear connecting with 1894 house. In front of three pairs of the carriage doors a cobbled yard with low granite and slate rubble stone surrounding walls with stone coping and low entrance piers. Inside boiler house building iron tension roofs with cast iron Gothic style stretchers. Inside the 1870 house the room comprising the whole 1st floor has massive triple purlin wooden roof with queen post type trusses c11m wide. The complex stands in park like setting with choice trees and shrubs.