the steam beam engine, itself replaced in 1924 by the powerful Mirrlees, Bickerton and Day Diesel. With a weight of 25 tonnes and a nominal power output of 250bhp at 250rpm, this engine ran until the 1970s, when it was replaced with automatic electric pumps. The Mirrlees diesel engine remains the centrepiece of the Prickwillow Museum, and is believed to be the only example of an air-blast injection engine remaining in working order. The museum also contains other diesel engines, dating from 1919, recovered from other local pumping stations, and restored by volunteers. The Diesel pumping engines are demonstrated to interested visitors on several days throughout the year. Prickwillow is the current office and workshop base for the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards who maintain the current electric pumping station in Prickwillow and surrounding watercourses. The group consists of ten internal drainage boards (IDBs) whose boundaries extend to the New Bedford River and Welney to the west and Mildenhall and Lakenheath to the east. The IDBs provide water level and flood risk management within their districts. In the 1920s, it was reported that the constant draining of the land resulted in the peaty soil sinking by every year. The local school buildings and St. Peter's Church, built in 1862 and 1866 respectively, as well as many of the local houses, were built on piles to ensure stable foundations. Two steps were built up to the front door of the vicarage, but many more had to be added as the land gradually sank. In addition, owing to the high water table, church burials take place in the more elevated settlement of Ely. The B1104 between Prickwillow and neighbouring Isleham is reputedly the most subsidence affected road in the country; so undulating is the drive that some have experienced bouts of motion sickness equal to that of seasickness. Other The combinations of banks and ditches could be a hazard for the unwary, as a newspaper article of 1872 demonstrates: Narrow Escape. On Saturday evening last one of our neighbours of the name of "Burt", managed to tumble off the bank into the ditch. Some persons passing by heard a strange gurgling sound in the ditch, and made a search, when they found the unfortunate Burt immersed and nearly exhausted; of course they rescued him. It appears that Burt had got "Mr. Beer's" boots on, and the bank not being wide enough