大象传媒

Just six miles outside Marlborough, lies a historic reminder of olde worlde Wiltshire which each year opens up its doors to tourists for the Spring/Summer season.

The Beam Engine

Crofton Pumping Station is a Grade 1 listed building which was built in 1807 in order to provide water 40 feet up to the summit of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The site houses two magnificent Cornish beam engines, one of which (the 1812 Boulton and Watt) is the oldest working beam engine in the world and still stands in its original engine house.听

Both engines are in full working order and give tourists a taste of the sounds and smells of these wonderful relics as they may have performed 150 years ago.

The Boiler

There is also a coal-fired, hand-stoked Lancashire Boiler which provides the steam for the two Beam Engines and some smaller stationary engines in the Boiler Room.

And although not part of the original station, there are a number of interesting small stationary steam engines in the boiler house, which are also run when the station is in steam.

The engines were finally retired in the late 50s - but in 1968 - the station was purchased by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust from British Waterways with the objective of restoring it to full working order. And the result of the fine restoration carried out by volunteers and several qualified engineers is what can be seen today.

Cylinder and valves

Visitors to the station can access all parts of the station, whether in steam or not, stop for lunch and buy souvenirs at the 'Engineman's Rest' Cafe and Shop which is in a former boiler house, and enjoy the lovely views of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside.

Crofton Pumping station is open on March 21st through until September 28th, 2008
between 10.30am - 5.00pm.

The engines will be in steam on the following dates :- March 22-23-24 (Easter), May 3-4-5, May 24-25-26, June 28-29, July 26-27, August 23-24-25 and September 27-28.

For more information and admission prices, visit the Crofton Pumping Station website by clicking the link below.