Description: Built by the Nottingham Waterworks Company. With the rivers in Nottingham and the Scotholme spring becoming increasingly polluted, Hawksley, engineer to the new Company, turned for his supply to the sandstone beds on which Nottingham is built. Some 20 per cent of the Bunter Sandstone's volume is made up of interconnected spaces so enabling it to act both as an effective filter and sponge, storing vast quantities of pure water. The company built three Pumping Stations on the sandstone: Park Works (1850), Bagthorpe (Basford) opened in 1857 and was enlarged in 1868 and finally Bestwood was opened in 1871. This wonderful gothic building was equipped with two 125hp rotative beam engines built by J. Witham and Sons, Leeds. The Basford, Bestwood and all subsequent sandstone sources remain in use today, being more discretely pumped with electric motors in small sub-stations. Bestwood has now been converted for use as a private Health/fitness Club and Restaurant and is a Grade II listed building.