Crofton Beam Engines
Great Bedwyn, United Kingdom
Crofton Beam Engines
Crofton Pumping Station, near the village of Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England, supplies the summit pound of the Kennet and Avon Canal with water.
The steam-powered pumping station is preserved and operates on selected weekends. It contains an operational Boulton & Watt steam engine dating from 1812, making it the oldest working beam engine in the world in its original engine house and capable of doing the job for which it was installed.
Accommodations near Crofton Beam Engines
The Barn - Private & Stylish
see price.
Nearby Tours & Activities
Guests' reviews
Only been once in 2017.Am waiting for Easter weekend start of 2018 season. Plenty to see. Boiler. Beam engine. The cafe.Outside displays. Plus Avon/Kennett canal/lock and railway lines. Good size carpark.
Lots of work going on after they successfully got a HLF bid come through, but still a great place to go to, steaming weekends are a must during Bank Holidays and there is a fantastic cafe well worth visiting.
Love this place. Steam, tea room with very good quality homemade food, railway, canal and a Windmill within 1 mile walk over the hill. It's good to support these historical places and for a nice day out!
A piece of working history to fascinate and delight children of all ages, despite the weather. The volunteer staff were friendly and very knowledgable and helped make this trip down memory lane as fun for the kids as for me remembering when I last visited at the age of 6 or so. Oh and they do beer & ice-cream (not in the same glass).
Only 50p for the car park. Interesting informative and a jolly good visit. Walk down the canal enjoy the lovely views and countryside. Tea room that serves up fresh food and proper tea in pots. The boiler is fired up for regular exhibitions. Staffed by passionate volunteers that are more than happy to spend time to explain the engines. Not for the very young but fun for school age and beyond.
A fascinating place. The dedication of the volunteers keeps this little gem going. It's history and working pumps are spot on. There's a lovely cafe but if you're going with a family it may be worth your time to take a picnic. Lovely walks and places to watch the world go by.
Great place to visit if you are interested in industrial heritage. The oldest steam powered beam engines in the world still fulfilling their original purpose! Check the website for "steaming weekends".
The site is currently under a major maintenance project. The cafe is open and the canal walk is pleasant and easy. Normally the engines are a great visit. Especially on steaming day when yòu see them alive.
Lovely place, good food and drinks however the Archimedes Screw was disappointing - I travelled quite a long way to see it. Having said that the beam engine pistons were very impressive - it's been a while since I've seen ones so thick! Will definitely be coming again!
Great place to experience the ingenuity of Victorian engineering. Guided tours on non-steaming days but (apparently) you must go on one of the working days, usually at the end of each month; check website. Lots of renovation/extension work going on till at least August 2018 so some disruption.
Good value for money, not expensive and with the annual pass included a bonus. Interesting to see the steam engines working as they would have done back in the 18 and 1900's. Run by a volunteer work force.
