Manual Fire Pump

This pump, in the yard of the Museum of Technology, would have been pulled to the scene of a fire by hand, one set of leather hoses attached and connected to a water supply, another set pointed at the fire. Volunteers then would have operated the pump by hand, using the long wooden handles at the side. This pump was manufactured by Tilley and Co of Blackfriars, London and supplied to Trinity College, Cambridge, around 1850, although, considering the size and height of the college, it doesn't seem possible that it could do a very good job of extinguishing  fires, especially in the upstairs rooms. Most of the surrounding villages relied on this type of pump for fire fighting, until the early 1900's. As this was in the yard, I was able to get a picture even though the museum was closed.