Water pump in Rathowen, County Westmeath

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What is recorded here

Freestanding cast-iron water pump, erected c.1880, comprising banded cylindrical shaft with fluted head and decorative spout. Missing handle and cap. No longer in use. Set back from road in small enclosure and surrounded by rubble limestone wall.

Water pumps played an important social role in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries by providing a communal water source. This cast-iron pump now serves as an attractive piece of street furniture, aesthetically enhancing the streetscape of Rathowen. The decorative detailing, such as the banding and fluting adds artistic interest to this once functional object.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 15303004

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, au.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.joinmychurch.com
Richard Webb, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Maker not stated on source page, www.youtube.com
Steve & Jemma Copley on Flickr, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Miguel Angel Masegosa Martínez, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

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