The Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centre houses a collection of Victorian engineering. Central to the display is the 26 foot diameter waterwheel built in 1869.Visitors can see the wheel driving a twin cylinder pumpset built in 1883 by Sparrow's of Martock for a local tannery. We also have a Hindley steam engine like that originally installed to supplement the water supply provided by the waterwheel housed in a new bujilding.
These main exhibits are supported by a display of artifacts mainly concerned with water pumping and/or Hindley of Bourton.
Additional Hindley artifacts include a cheese press, an apple crusher, a circular saw bench and cider press screws.
Also on display are the very substantial remains of the Nether Cerne Manor Waterwheel. This wheel was built for Nether Cerne Manor by Maggs of Bourton in 1819 and is certainly one of the oldest all iron waterwheels that remain in England.
Hindley Steam Engine
Supporting this display of machinery is a display of technical and historical documentation, including a copy of the 1852 Map of Sherborne. The original is 13 feet long and 7 feet high, drawn to a scale of 10 feet to 1 mile. The original is the property of SHERBORNE TOWN COUNCIL. The survey and mapmaking was carried out by ROBERT DYMOND of EXETER under specific requirements laid down by the inspectors working under the requirements of the PUBLIC HEALTH ACT of 1848. The very detailed map shows every bucket privy in the town, all 14 breweries, all 11 slaughterhouses and all 11 laundries.
Lower & Upper Leat
Upper Leat
Aerial View