Unfailing support - # 08/12

The cast iron pillars are higher than a house and support the massive iron cross bar. Above this "shoulder" is the 30 tonne pivoting rocker arm that rises and falls, one end driven by steam pressure through a huge piston, the other end rising and falling to lift the water.

I'll show a few more pictures in the coming days, and then we'll let this engineering marvel go back to its quiet rest. The history of hygiene and flushing toilets in the metropolis may seem unglamorous, but this Kew Bridge Steam Museum brings it to life.