Author Topic: Guess the Place  (Read 1041691 times)

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6505 on: April 19, 2022, 10:24:01 PM »
Right - time for the next one ...


This might be instantly recognisable to some of you.




What and Where?


Offline stuartwaters

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6504 on: April 19, 2022, 09:53:26 PM »
I believe the Archemedes Screws are a holdover from when the site was a sewage works. They may be redundant now. Some small sewage works have been converted into large pumping stations. Two others which spring to mind are The Strand in Gillingham and Hoo. The Strand, Gillingham now pumps to Motney Hill and Hoo pumps to Whitewall Creek.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6503 on: April 19, 2022, 08:11:20 PM »
I see it now.  there appears to be a row of enormous 'archimedes' screws going deep into an underground chamber.  I presume they were the lift pumps?  The tank is under the building you mentioned then?


All quite fascinating to me.  :)

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6502 on: April 19, 2022, 07:17:16 PM »
Very interesting information StuartWaters.  I can't see where the 'Wet Well' is at the Allington Lock area.  Is it underground?  I'm guessing it must be enormous?


On Google Earth:



From the tanks, follow the river towards Maidstone and just before you get to Ford's Wharf, there's a cross-shaped building, similar to a church when viewed from the air. That and the group of buildings adjacent to it comprise the Pumping Station. How much of that complex is still actually in use, I can't say. Southern Water have a habit of decommissioning plant but leaving it in place until its either in the way of something new or becomes dangerously derelict and needs demolition for safety reasons.


Considering that Central Maidstone, Allington and the surrounding area flows into it, I would say yes, it is quite large....
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6501 on: April 19, 2022, 05:37:44 PM »
Very interesting information StuartWaters.  I can't see where the 'Wet Well' is at the Allington Lock area.  Is it underground?  I'm guessing it must be enormous?

Offline johnfilmer

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6500 on: April 19, 2022, 03:57:45 PM »
So much for my logic!


Well done JW :)
Illegitimus nil carborundum

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6499 on: April 19, 2022, 03:37:24 PM »
The honours go to you JW. They are storm holding tanks for the large sewage pumping station a little further up the road.


Maidstone and the surrounding area has a Combined Sewer system. This means that the sewers take the rain water as well as the foul stuff. In conditions of heavy rain, the pumping stations and sewage works are unable to cope with the sheer volume of water trying to get through the system. The wet well at Allington Water Pump Station spills over into those tanks and when conditions calm down, the water is drained back into the wet well, from where its pumped to Aylesford Sewage Works (which doesn't have storm tanks).


Pretty much all the sewage from Maidstone and the surrounding area goes through Allington, so it's a substantial pumping station.


Motney Hill and most of the others I listed earlier have storm tanks on site.


If those tanks are unable to cope (ie if they fill up) they spill through a screen into the Medway, upstream from Allington Locks (hence non-tidal).


Over to you JW.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6498 on: April 19, 2022, 03:00:30 PM »
At last - bottom end of Castle Road, Aylesford.  51.289995490881374, 0.5087998564703421


As you mentioned, it's a long way from the works.  What is its purpose?

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6497 on: April 19, 2022, 02:52:35 PM »
On the Hoo Peninsula/ME3?


Well, there's a works near Upnor Castle, but I can't find a non-tidal watercourse there. .....   Still searching  :)

Offline shoot999

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6496 on: April 19, 2022, 02:34:51 PM »
On the Hoo Peninsula/ME3?

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6495 on: April 19, 2022, 02:09:55 PM »
Can't believe I have you stumped JW. Time for another clue methinks.


Castle nearby.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6494 on: April 19, 2022, 12:26:23 PM »
Hopefully neither Coxheath or Sutton Valence are too tidal...


A couple of miles from the bottom of Sutton Hill takes you near Headcorn and it’s various waterways. Likewise from Dean Street that could take you to the Loose Valley.


Not found any sign yet, about to go out, will return later.


I've searched those areas without success.  I was wary of coming too far south or I would be out of the ME postcode area.  The only main waterway I could find was the River Beault but found nothing along there.  Still scratching head  ;D

Offline johnfilmer

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6493 on: April 19, 2022, 12:08:11 PM »
Hopefully neither Coxheath or Sutton Valence are too tidal...


A couple of miles from the bottom of Sutton Hill takes you near Headcorn and it’s various waterways. Likewise from Dean Street that could take you to the Loose Valley.


Not found any sign yet, about to go out, will return later.
Illegitimus nil carborundum

Offline John Walker

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6492 on: April 19, 2022, 09:15:01 AM »
Still searching.  All the works with nearby waterways that I've found so far are tidal.  ::)   :)

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: Guess the Place
« Reply #6491 on: April 18, 2022, 06:02:25 PM »
Kind of right, but nothing to do with tides. Yes, a non-tidal stretch of watercourse just to the right, out of shot. Like I mentioned earlier, this kind of asset is usually found in a Sewage Works, but these are some distance (a couple of miles in fact) from the Sewage Works which they serve.


To help out, here is a list of the Sewage Works in the ME Postcode Area, in no particular order:


Motney Hill
Middle Stoke
Whitewall Creek
Ham Hill
Queenborough
Aylesford
Sittingbourne
Teynham
Faversham
Coxheath
Sutton Valence
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.