Cleadon Water Pumping Station, chimney

1860-62, Thomas Hawksley engineer.
Built by the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company and began working in 1852. Red brick with light coloured mortar withrusticated sandstone quoins and one high level stone string course. Square in plan with central flue around which spiral 141 stone steps. Fine square detached chimney in the form of a grand "campanile" (bell tower commonly associated with Italian churches from 8th century onwards). Pyramidal roof and a cantilevered gallery round the top floor {1}. The chimney provided a draught for the boilers and dispersed waste gases from the boiler house. Contains a square flue with an internal continuous flight of stairs wrapping around the central chamber. 30m above ground level there is an external cantilevered gallery. The square metal railings are not ornamental. The roof and gallery overhangs have curved timber brackets. The tower is built of soft clay red brick with light-coloured lime-rich mortar, rusticated quoins and one high level stone string course. Each face has 12 inset vertical windows in groups of three, with brickwork recessed around each group. The chimney has been used for radio transmission by the emergency services since 1962. The aerials are not overwhelmingly visible from the ground. The opening of Derwent Reservoir in the 1970s led to the closure of the pumping station.