Bella Street Pumphouse Museum
Bella Street Pumphouse Museum
| MUSEUM | |
|---|---|
| Auckland War Memorial Museum | |
| Location: | Corner Bella St and Cochrane St Thames |
| Nearest Place: | Thames |
| Established: | 2000s |
| Visitors: | |
| Governing Body: | |
The Museum is the site of the Queen of Beauty pump opened in 1898. It was a joint operation of several mines to attempt to access the deeper parts of the Thames gold lodes. The steam driven pump operated with its own shaft and winding gear for access to the shaft. There was no mining via this shaft. The museum has the original building and overhead crane. The quadrants are the rear of the building (open at any time) the original crankshaft and a replica of the flywheel and reduction gears. Most of the hardware was scrapped after it was closed in 1918.
Also in the building is a Francis turbine and generating set that supplied power to the plant and to Thames from 1916.
The Museum has a great photo collection of Thames and its mining infrastructure and a superb model of the engine and pump and another of the winding gear.
