Item 1999_003_A_002 - Overshot Waterwheel

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1907: Made at the Eagle Iron Foundry in Aberystwyth and used originally at a farm in Dolaucothi, Carmarthenshire to drive workshop machinery.
1976: The National Trust donated the Overshot Waterwheel to the Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum (WIMM) in December 1976 who restored it and it was displayed in Cardiff Bay between 1977 and 1998 when this museum was closed.
1998 - 2000: A long term loan arrangement was agreed between its subsequent owner, the National Museum of Wales and the Waterworks Museum - Hereford. It was installed at the Waterworks Museum site and became operational in 2000.

2024: Ownership transferred to Waterworks Museum - Hereford from Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales (formerly known as National Museum of Wales).

This item was completely re-painted during the winter/spring period of 2016/2017.
Frequent maintenance is needed to remove the layers of algae and airborne detritus which build up on the waterwheel.

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Waterwheel Dimensions:
Diameter 14’ 00” (4.27m)
Width 3’ 02” (0.96m)
No. of buckets: 48 wooden buckets
Weight (approx.) 2.5 tons (2540kg)

Bay O (Outside).

2008/095/R/01: Plan - Waterwheel foundation at the museum showing the position of the electrical cable.

In 1907, the Dolaucothi Estate was owned by Lieutenant General Sir James Hills Johnes VC GCB, a military hero. The Estate passed into the ownership of the National Trust in 1956, it having previously been transferred to it in 1941 subject to the life interest of the then owner.

At the museum a recirculation system was required to provide the water supply over the wheel and designed to return the water to a collection sump. The arrangement had to be able to cope with rain water and winter snowfall. The water recirculating pump is located in the Tangye House next to where the Overshot Waterwheel is sited. Its level, in relation to the sump below the wheel, is of specific importance in order to ensure that the pump remains primed and ready for use at all times. Therefore the level of water in the sump is maintained at a higher level than the pump outlet pipe to the launder (which is an inclined channel or trough for the conveyance of a liquid such as water) . The sump is equipped with a filtration system to protect the pump from the ingress of foreign matter and also has an overflow arrangement to maintain the appropriate water level.

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