Crofton Beam Engines

Near to the village of Burbage is the Crofton Beam Engines, a superb monument to our industrial history. The pumping station was built to overcome a great engineering challenge during the construction of the Kennet & Avon Canal. Initial plans included tunnel between the Wiltshire villages of Crofton and Burbage. But tunnelling was expensive, and a cheaper alternative was sought. This involved raising the summit level of the canal and constructing a much shorter tunnel. But there was another problem. This new summit was 12 m (40 ft) higher than any reliable local, natural water source and so a pumping station was built at Crofton to keep it topped-up. It was estimated that this scheme saved the company £41,000 (equivalent these days to about to about £8,000,000!)

Today you can step back in time to the world of steam and learn about the history of the pumping station and its restoration. Talk to volunteers in and around the Engine House. Discover the engineering challenges and the people who overcame them to build the canal and make sure that it had a plentiful supply of water.

There is a charge to enter the site on steaming days. Booking is recommended but not essential. However, there is no charge to enter the site on non-steaming days except for special events. But there is a charge for car parking and to visit the station itself to view the boiler and engines.

Go to the link to the museum website below to find out more