Reservoir & Pump Houses

Built-in 1914

The pump houses and reservoir are located adjacent to the main drive. The reservoir (WP 13 D) and pump house (WP 13 E) were erected in 1914. The major expansion of the asylum in the early 1910s required upgrading several services, including water. Ellerton expressed concern about the inadequate water supply, particularly in the event of a fire, soon after his appointment in 1909. In 1910, he reported that the Hydraulic Engineer was working on improvements to the institutions' water supply. In 1913, they constructed a new low-lying reservoir, along with a pump and a pumping house. New 6-inch pipes were laid from the Brisbane mains close to Mt Crosby, but an upper reservoir required a delay in the construction of the water tower and a temporary connection between the old existing main and the Brisbane main. The reservoir was rendered brickwork, approximately 5 m deep, surrounded by a structure of 2 m high cast iron columns supporting an open lattice-framed perimeter truss. This truss supported a timber-framed roof structure. The pump house was either an existing shed moved from elsewhere
on the site or constructed of materials from a demolished building. It is sheeted with pine chamfer boards and has an unusual vented semi-circular
openings above all of its windows.
The history of the second timber building (WP 13 F) is uncertain. Its form and materials suggest it is earlier and possibly was moved. Documentary evidence indicates it was not in its present location in 1936, but was moved from elsewhere on the site or constructed of older materials from a demolished building.