BWTAS at Earls Colne

On Saturday 27th September, members of BWTAS showed up in force, well, seven of them, at the Earls Colne Heritage Museum at the former Atlas Works to admire their water tower. The museum is small but well stocked with artefacts about the history of the works and Earls Colne. Now we know who made all the brackets, wheels and shafts for thousands of belt-driven mills and factories around the world as well as the hand-powered grain milling machines still in use in many under-developed countries. Our thanks to Brian Alderman for opening especially for us. They don't know if the water tower was made on site. It is made of sand-cast iron plates in an unusual 3' x 4' size but it is more likely they were made by one of the specialst foundries on the Tyne. The museum is well worth a visit and there are lots of other things to do and see nearby, including a railway museum and a rather ironic town pump dedicated in thanks to the absence of cholera in the town.