Crofton Beam Engines Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust

To celebrate the tremendous achievements of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, Crofton Beam Engines will welcome Hannah, one of the Trusts accessibility boats to Crofton. Hannah will be with us all day on Saturday the 20th and for the morning of the 21st of June. She is carrying a fascinating exhibition about the Trust’s history, present and future. Step aboard one of our wonderful boats that give huge pleasure to very many visitors every year.

This will be a very special event at Crofton, as we will have our boiler in steam driving our two historic beam engines to celebrate the Anniversary. This is your chance to learn more about the work the Trust did to bring the Canal and Crofton back to life, what we do now, our plans and how you can help.

As part of our celebrations, we will be burning a biofuel on Saturday. This biofuel is a by-product of the rape seed oil industry. We are currently trialling this as an alternative to coal. We hope, that if we cannot get coal in the future, we can keep our mighty boiler in steam and our engines working for future generations to admire and to learn about the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

There will be plenty for all the family to do, from visiting Hannah to exploring our wonderful beam engines in their Georgian Grade I listed buildings. There will be lots of activities for children from watching our duck race, learning how water can be lifted in many ways, including using hands on large scale models, having fun in our crafting area and just enjoying our beautiful outdoor spaces.

Our tearoom will be open and you are welcome to bring a picnic while taking in the beautiful views of Wilton Water and beyond.

Crofton Beam Engines is a part of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust - a registered charity dedicated to protecting the canal and improving the publics knowledge and enjoyment of the canal.