Pump Distribution across the UK.
pump
A quick analysis of the records in the National Register indicates that the apparent distribution of existing pumps around Britain is very uneven. This leads to the question why, and the current conclusion is that there could be a combination of factors:

(a) Population densities and distribution in rural and urban areas.
(b) The remoteness of the location and hence the stage at which centrally-supplied mains water was introduced.
(c) The subsequent removal of pumps for health/tidiness/material recycling/land re-use reasons.
(d) Patchy recording of those which remain.
(e) And, surely primarily, the variable geology and topography across the country, which would have determined both the need for and the practicality of the sinking of wells or boreholes to reach the water table.
On the left, below, are some extracted examples taken from the National Register (as of Jul 2009) and on the right is a map produced by the UK Groundwater Forum which reflects the hydrogeology of the British Isles. Once the National Register is considered comprehensive enough, a comparison will be made with the locations of surviving pumps, in order to search for the expected correlation with the permeable layers and river gravels. In the meantime, take a look for yourself and let me know your thoughts please.
Area Pumps located to date (Jul 2010)
Scotland N of Firths of Clyde/Forth 55
Scotland S of Firths of Clyde/Forth 40
Cumbria 27
"Old" Yorkshire 182
"Old" Lancashire 20
Isle of Man 1
North Wales 31
Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire 63
Essex 240
Sussex 77
Hampshire 23
Isle of Wight 22
Cornwall 81
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