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20-592: Melingriffith Water Pump is a water-driven water pump that was built by Watkin George , of Cyfartha , around 1793 to return precious water from the Melingriffith Tin Plate Works to the Glamorganshire Canal . The water pump is a scheduled monument and has been restored twice since it ceased operation in the 1940s. For many years it was believed to be designed by the canal engineer John Rennie . When

40-646: A crack in the casting and the need to replace more of the timber spokes than was originally first thought. The pump is a scheduled monument and the centrepiece of the Melingriffith Water Pump Conservation Area which was designated in 1975. Watkin George Little is known about George's early life except that he was born in Trevethin around 1759 and that his father, who was also called Watkin George, died in 1787. Again, little

60-408: A number of changes including the demolition of a wire works at Pontymoile , a new tinplate works and waterwheel at Pontymoile and two tinplate works at Lower Mill, near Pontymoile. After George left Cyfartha he was described later (1807) as having ..."lately quitted the concern with from thirty to forty thousand pounds in his pocket. This is one among the most remarkable instances of wealth acquired by

80-528: A son William and three daughters, Anne, Elizabeth and Charlotte. Charlotte married Benjamin Hall , and became the mother of Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover . By the 1770s he was a leading London iron merchant, dealing mainly in Swedish and Russian iron. The firm was Crawshay and Moser in 1774, and then Crawshay, Cornwell and Moser in 1784. The business still existed, as R & W Crawshay, in 1816. By 1775 he

100-505: A timber trestle structure 185m long, part of which ran over Pont-y-Cafnau), Melingriffith water pump (1793-1795), Aeolus waterwheel (1793-97 - a 50 ft diameter cast iron waterwheel), the Merthyr Bridge (1799-1800 - a single shallow arch of cast iron), and Ynysfach Ironworks (1801 - the two blast furnaces bore his initials). Around 1805 Watkin George left Cyfartha to become a partner at Pontypool Ironworks where he undertook

120-571: A width of 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m). The paddles are 22 inches (0.56 m) deep. The paddle wheel is connected to two rocking beams of oak which are 22 feet (6.7 m) long by 1 foot 2 inches (0.36 m) by 1 foot 4 inches (0.41 m). The connecting rods, made of cast iron, are 18 feet 5 inches (5.61 m) long, with a cross section of 4 inches (0.10 m) by 5 inches (0.13 m). The rocking beams are supported on an oak frame of 1 foot (0.30 m) by 1 foot (0.30 m) timber. The other ends of

140-442: Is buried at St Cadoc's Church, Trevethin . Pont-y-Cafnau and Melingriffith Water Pump both survive and are scheduled monuments (Pont-y-Cafnau is also a Grade II* listed building). The Iron Bridge at Merthyr was dismantled in 1963. The remaining parts are stored at Cyfarthfa Castle . Richard Crawshay Richard Crawshay (1739 – 27 June 1810) was a London iron merchant and then South Wales ironmaster ; he

160-655: Is known about George's early career but from about 1790 to 1794 he was possibly working on iron girder bridges over the Glamorganshire Canal. He was made a partner in Cyfartha ironworks in 1792 by the owner Richard Crawshay . The works expanded over the next few years, developing Henry Cort 's puddling process, to become the largest ironworks in the world by 1806. During this period Watkin George also constructed or designed Pont-y-Cafnau (1792-93 - an iron tramway bridge and aqueduct ), Gwynne water aqueduct (1793-96 -

180-622: The Glamorganshire Canal was built it drew water from the same feed as the Melingriffith Tin Plate Works to operate the Melingriffith lock. The lock drew so much water that the works had to often cease operation in dry weather, despite a clause in the Glamorgan Canal Navigation Act requiring the company to protect the water supplies of local industries. The ensuing legal battle led to an agreement to pump water from

200-468: The axle were replaced by steel. The tinplate works were demolished in the 1980s and replaced by a housing estate. The Welsh Development Agency kept the feeder from the weir across the River Taff so the restored water pump could be operated. When the restoration was completed in 1989 the pump was put in the care of Cardiff City Council. Further restoration work was carried out in 2009–11. Bats roosting in

220-491: The business alone, and had two blast furnaces , eight puddling furnaces , three melting fineries , three balling furnaces , and a rolling mill in 1794. A blast furnace was built by 1796, and a fourth the same year. There were six furnaces by 1810. He thus developed Cyfarthfa into one of the most important ironworks in South Wales. Crawshay was very ambitious and imperious in manner, being called 'The Tyrant' by some, but

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240-400: The forge and boring mill for David Tanner . In May 1787 he took out a licence from Henry Cort for his puddling process, but the rolling mill needed was not completed until 1789. He solved the problems of the puddling process by using an iron plate for the furnace ceiling and sea-washed sand for the floor. In 1791 he terminated the partnership, which had made little profit. He continued

260-429: The rocker beams delayed the restoration but the pump ran again on 1 July 2010, now operated by electric power. The restoration work, costing £100,000 was funded by Cadw and Cardiff Council and was carried out by Penybryn Engineering with project management by Opus International Consultants. Although the pump was operated regularly for a few years, it has now fallen into disrepair again and since 2016 has not worked, due to

280-427: The tail race of the tin plate works to a height of 12 feet (3.7 m) back into the canal. The canal company installed the pump, and the tin plate works contributed to its maintenance. The pump is driven by an undershot paddle wheel. The wheel comprised three cast iron hoops mounted on a solid oak axle, with 30 blades mounted on the cast iron hoops. The wheel is 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) in diameter with

300-621: The tin plate works owners would not contribute to the costs. The pump continued to operate continually until 1927, and probably after that until the canal effectively closed in 1942. The pump remained standing until restoration was started in 1974. Scrap merchants failed to dismantle the pump in the 1950s. Melingriffith Water Pump was first restored between 1974–89 by the Inland Waterways Association and Oxford House (Risca) Industrial Archaeology Society, with cooperation from Cardiff City Council , and some timber components including

320-447: The two rocking beams are connected to the vertical pumping cylinders by a chain mechanism. The cylinders have a bore of 2 feet 8 inches (0.81 m) and a stroke of 5 feet (1.5 m). The pistons in each cylinder include triangular weighted flaps of iron with leather hinges. In 1808 John Rennie and William Jessop were consulted about problems with the pump. They recommended a "fire engine" (a steam engine) but it appears that

340-549: The untutored ingenuity of the natural faculties." The partnership with Capel Hanbury Leigh at Pontypool proved successful and after the first two years George received £8,300 in profits. In 1811 George submitted plans for a bridge at Chepstow. The bridge was eventually built to a design by John Rastrick in 1816. On 20 September 1789 George married Anne Jenkins (1760-1845, also from Trevethin) at Llanhilleth . They had two or three children, Hannah (1793) Anne (1794) and Watkin (1795). Watkin George died on 10 August 1822 and

360-616: Was acting as Anthony Bacon 's agent for supplying iron cannon to the Board of Ordnance and was from 1777 a partner in that business, casting cannon at Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil . This continued until Bacon had to give up government contracts in 1782, because he was a Member of Parliament . In 1786, following the death of Anthony Bacon, he took over the whole Cyfarthfa Ironworks, in partnership with William Stevens (a London merchant) and James Cockshutt , who had previously managed

380-571: Was one of ten known British millionaires in 1799. Richard Crawshay was born in Normanton in the West Riding of Yorkshire . Initially starting work aged 16, working for Mr Bicklewith of York Yard, Thames Street, London (to whom he was apprenticed) in a bar iron warehouse in London, he became sole proprietor of the business on Bicklewith's retirement in 1763. He married Mary Bourne in 1763 and they had

400-453: Was without social pretension. He was active in protecting the interests of the iron trade and was a major promoter of the Glamorganshire Canal which immensely improved transport of iron to Cardiff Docks . In 1799 he was the sixth wealthiest man or family in Britain (with some forerunners counted for completeness as wider family concerns), owning £2M (equivalent to £248,200,000 in 2023). He

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