It is built of red brick with a slate roof and originally contained two steam engines made by the Worthington Corporation.

This stores the hydraulic energy ensuring a smooth delivery of pressure and meaning that the pumps do not need to be running the whole time nor be capable of supplying the instantaneous peak demands.

The external accumulator was added about 1954 when the original inside the building's tower became difficult to service (but it remains in place).

The building originally contained a pair of steam powered pumps[5] however these were replaced with three electrically driven ones in 1907.

[6] The engine house provided the power for equipment such as the lock gates and cranes until 2010.