Pumping Stations in the South Level of the Fens

Pumping Stations - an overview

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Created Sep 2025, last edited: 31/03/26, 20:03

Introduction

The "South Level" is an area created in the mid 17thC by Cornelius Vermuyden, one of the chief architects of the drainage of the swampy fenlands of East Anglia, as decribed further down.

Much of the land is below mean sea level and excess water has to be pumped up into raised and embanked "main rivers" maintained by the Environment Agency (EA). The low lands are divided into districts, each managed by a local organisation known (generally) as an Inland Drainage Board (IDB) managed by people who own or farm land in the district.

Boards usually have representatives of local authorities (e.g Borough Councils). The IDBs own and operate Pumping Stations and also manage the majority of the network of drains that feed to them. IDBs also draw water from the main rivers for summer irrigation, often at a pumping station.

My project

The South Level Webpages are a companion to my main project, The Ouse Washes Website, a history and study of the management of the Ouse, or One Hundred Foot, Washes. All pumping stations in the South Level that discharge into the rivers bounding the Washes (Bedford Ouse, and New Bedford River or Hundred Foot Drain) are included.

For my purposes, I am defining the area as that drained by the Great Ouse from Hermitage Lock to Denver Sluice and its tributaries in between. Sections of the Great Ouse in this area are known by other names - Old West River in the south, Ely Ouse in the middle and Ten Mile River in the north. The main tributaries are the Cam, Lark, Little Ouse and Wissey.

KDG Hinde in his wonderful book Fenland Pumping Engines published by Landmark Publications Ltd in 2006, lists 29 steam and/or diesel stations in the South Level. He and his son Edward visited them all and recorded their history, often in great detail.

During 2011-16 I visited ten of them, taking many colour photos of the sites, including electric-powered plant. My pages contain many of my photos and information I've gathered, with some brief notes from Mr Hinde's book

Map: old OS 1" map annoted by Peter Cox, May 2014
Mr Hinde's ref numbers are shown thus: S22B, for Lower Padnall (at top).

Many of the IDBs have grouped together in recent times to share administrative and engineering costs whilst still maintaining their independence. The two major groups are Ely and Downham Market .

Scroll down to follow the story or choose a section to jump to from the drop-down menu.

Menu/Index/Contents of this page
- top of page
- Introduction
- Potted history
- Pumping Stations by name
- Pumping Stations by river
  - Great Ouse/Ely ouse
  - Lark
  - Little Ouse
  - New Bedford/100 Foot
    - Hundred Foot
    - Oxlode
- Pumping Stations by IDB
  - Burnt Fen IDB
  - Cawdle Fen IDB
  - Haddenham
    - Aldreth
    - Sutton Gault
  - Lakenheath
  - Littleport & Downham
    - Hundred Foot
    - Little Thetford
    - Martins Farm
    - Oxlode
    - Ten Mile - new
    - old Ten Mile Bank
    - Wood Fen
  - Middle Fen & Mere
    - Henny
    - Harrimere
    - Prickwillow
    - Overfall
    - New Mill
  - Mildenhall
    - Alder Fen
    - Mildenhall (Fodder Fen)
  - Old West
  - Over & Willingham
    - Over
    - Willingham
  - Padnal & Waterden
  - Lower Padnall
  - Upper Padnall
  - Swaffham
  - Waterbeach Level
    - Stretham
    - Willingham West Fen
- related pages on other sites
- the Ouse Washes Website
- Contents A-Z
- Ely Group of IDBs
- Downham Market Group of IDBs

History

The South Level was one of Vermuyden's three divisions of the "Great Level of the Fens known as Bedford Level". It covering approx 120,000 acres and was administered by The Bedford Level Corporation, through the office of a Superintendent, from 1663 until 1920, although much of the responsibility was transferred to other bodies in 1830.

The principal works maintained by the BLC within the South Level included:

Rivers
Banks
- The South Level Barrier Banks on the south side of the Bedford Ouse and east side of the Hundred Foot River from above Overcote to Denver Sluice
  - Overcote to Mepal known as the Upper Division
  - Mepal to Denver Sluice, the Littleport and Downham District Division
- Cradge bank on the west side of the Hundred Foot River
- Banks of Sandy's or Sandall's Cut
Sluices
- Hermitage on the Old West River
- Denver Sluice
- Welmore Lake Sluice
- Upware Sluice
- Swaffham Sluice
- Bottisham Sluice on the River Cam (or Granta)
- "Owens Sluice and Drain", aka Mepal Sluice and Great Dyke, across the Wash at Mepal
Bridges
- Hermitage Bridge
- over the Hundred Foot River at Sutton Gault
- over the Hundred Foot River at Mepal