Water-Pump
Date1760-1820
Where associatedLondon, UK
MediumIron, stone
Dimensions760 x 445 mmObject/Work: 760 x 445 mm
ClassificationsMiscellaneous Equipment
Terms
Object numberC12925
DescriptionCast iron water pump. This water pump stood in the courtyard of the Marshalsea Prison on Borough High Street when Dickens’ family was imprisoned there for debt in 1824. Dickens was 12 at the time, and moved to Southwark to live in Lant Street near the prison. His experiences of poverty as a child strongly influenced his writing and are found in descriptions and characters in many of his novels. He also used many of the places he knew in the Borough area in his writing, such as the prison and London Bridge. Charles must have passed this pump when visiting his family at the prison. It was donated to the Cuming Museum in 1924 after the prison building was demolished.
On View
Not on viewCollections
1700-1899
