Use of the "room" under water tank

[Golden Eagle]

Having just built a Metcalfe water tower (PO227), I am curious what the "room" under the similar water tanks would have been used for. Would this typically be office space, plumbing, pump room for topping up the tank...?

[Wheatley]

Generally plumbing (a couple of big pipes and valves anyway), maybe a stove to stop the tank freezing in winter. 

 

Beyond that the one at Settle was used as a stable, at least one other was used as a garage for the parcels road motor. The one at Garsdale was used as a village hall but I'd suggest that was atypical (odd place, Garsdale). I suspect most of them were used to store the sort of junk which accummulated at stations and was never thrown out while ever there was somewhere to store it 'just in case'.

 

At Appleby in the 1990s the new water tower was used to store benches, flower pots, poster frames, paint and brushes, and about 500 out of date detonators which Red Star wouldn't accept for carrriage for disposal because no-one at Leeds would give us a cost centre number to get rid of them. In the end we blew them up under a steam charter. 

[Rail-Online]

I went trespassing to have a look at the one next to Leicester station one day in the 1970s. It was used to store PW junk (there was a siding about 100 yards away). I suspect most of them had similar uses.  They tended to be situalted some way from stations and the structures themselves were very tall spaces and therefore pretty cold and inhospitable,  hence I guess they were little used  as offices or lamp stores.

 

Tony

[Rivercider]

Not relevant to the Metcalfe kit, but the well known water tower in Taunton East Yard sits on top of some old lime kilns as it is situated right next to the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.

Water tower a seen from the canal side. 30/7/2014

 

cheers