Wow I had no idea this kind of tech was in use in London! Thanks Paul! I have a degree in anthropology, and really appreciate you and how much I have learned from watching your channel
1 month ago
| 4
Wow that’s a great piece of history 👍🏼 …. All these ancient places you’ve been sharing, with hidden or forgotten water infrastructure… gets me pondering. T
1 month ago
| 9
Very interesting Paul. My Great Grandfather built a dynamo in the back yard shed (next to the outside lavvy😂) & my Nan grew up in the first house on the road (150+ houses) to have electric light. Love your work Paul 👍👍🏴
1 month ago
| 9
I think I truly shifted some timeline, because this stuff seems fancy as heck.
1 month ago
| 7
Water, you say? So, water-channels, pipes... simmilar to those in Egypt? 🤔🤔🤔
1 month ago
| 6
Reminds me of what John Keely was doing. Life is so crazy we have been stripped of our identity and our society has been built on necromancy
1 month ago | 1
Excellent post Paul about London’s hydraulic power Network. Absolutely fascinating. Keep up the good work. ❤
1 month ago
| 3
Satans Little season dismantled all of this beautiful work... And continues to do so this day :/
1 month ago
| 1
Love this. Never realised this. Interesting as I used the public baths in the 1970s just before their demise for a penny a go. And coall powered Battersea Power Station used huge amounts of water (from the Thames river) as a coolant. So much more free water usage back then...
1 month ago | 0
If you think hidroelectric is nice, check water trompe... Old tehnologie with near infinite gain and direct applications as e.g. freezers. It powered the french cuisine revolution centuries ago. The last working one was shutdown in montreal in the 80's.
1 month ago (edited)
| 1
All my grand parents have passed and i was hard pressed to find out anything about the old world and apparently didnt want to discuss such things there was one story my grandmother told my mother about her great grandmother being taken away by indians and how her father had to travel all over the midwest searching different tribes to find her and my mother said she made her grandmother cry asking her about the trains and that she refused to talk about anything of that nature and she was a very stoic woman and she was a highschool teacher
1 month ago | 0
👏👍hydro power systems evident here in north nj-ny border on the Hudson River. From boldt castle, down to Lamount Observatory to the old palisades amusement park down to the statue of liber
1 month ago
| 0
Paul Cook
When London was powered by water..
The London Hydraulic Power Network
Origins
Built in the late 19th century to supply high-pressure water for industry.
Operated by the London Hydraulic Power Company (LHPC), established in 1883.
It replaced countless small steam engines and hand-powered systems in factories, warehouses, theatres, and even private homes.
---
How It Worked
Central pumping stations (at places like Wapping, Rotherhithe, Grosvenor Road, City Road, and Millbank) pumped water into cast-iron pipes.
The water was kept under pressure using hydraulic accumulators (big pistons weighted with heavy stones or iron).
Pressure in the system: about 700 psi (48 bar) — very powerful.
Distribution network: over 180 miles (290 km) of pipes under London streets at its peak.
---
What It Powered
Warehouses & Docks → cranes, hoists, capstans, lifts.
Factories → presses, machinery needing steady power.
Theatres → stage machinery (moving scenery, safety curtains).
Public utilities → some early lifts in hotels and offices ran off it.
Basically, anywhere you needed mechanical force, you could “plug in” to the hydraulic main instead of running your own engine.
---
Decline
By the mid-20th century, electric motors became cheaper, more reliable, and easier to install.
The hydraulic network shrank steadily.
It finally closed in 1977.
---
What Happened After
After closure, much of the pipe network remained underground.
In the 1980s, parts of the system were reused to carry telecommunication cables (not water).
Some of the pumping station buildings survive:
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station → now an arts venue and restaurant.
Rotherhithe Pumping Station still stands.
---
🌍 Why It’s Special
It was one of the world’s first city-wide utility networks, similar in concept to gas, electricity, and telephone.
At its height, it powered 8,000+ machines across London.
A piece of infrastructure that hid in plain sight, quietly powering much of London’s economy.
If you liked this sort of historical nugget please like so I know what you guys like 👍
Please subscribe
☝️♥️
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 447