Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Encyclopedia
Kew Bridge Steam Museum houses a museum of water supply and a collection of water pumping steam engine
s. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage
. It is situated in Brentford
by Kew Bridge
on the River Thames
in west London
, England
.
, following a decision to close an earlier pumping station
at Chelsea
due to poor water quality. In the years up to 1944 the site expanded, with the addition of more steam pumping engines as well as four Allen diesel pumps and four electric pumping sets. The steam engines were retired from service in 1944, although two were kept on standby up until 1958, when a demonstration run of the Harvey & Co. 100 inch engine marked the final time steam would operate at the site.
The Metropolitan Water Board decided not to scrap the resident steam pumping engines and set them aside to form the basis of a museum display at a later date. This action bore fruit in 1973 with the formation of the Kew Bridge Engines Trust.
Today the site remains an internationally-recognised museum of steam pumping engines as a reminder of the many pumping stations spread throughout London and the UK. In 1999, the United Kingdom government Department for Culture, Media and Sport
described Kew Bridge as "the most important historic site of the water supply industry in Britain".{Listed Building Description TQ 1877 787/18/10064}
, including the largest working beam engine, the Grand Junction 90 Engine, which has a cylinder diameter of 90 inches and was used to pump water to London
for 98 years. This machine is over forty feet high and weighs about 250 tons. It was described by author Charles Dickens
as 'a monster'. This engine is still steamed once a month for public viewing and additionally also for private parties. There are also several other large working Cornish beam engine
s, a triple-expansion engine and several rotative steam engine
s.
In 2008, the museum completed the restoration of its Bull Engine, which is one of only four known examples in the world, and the only engine in its original location and still working. The Bull engine was built in 1856 and first steamed in restoration in 2006.
One of the museum's Allen Diesel engines is also on display and operated most weekends subject to staffing levels.
The railway was inspired by similar facilities provided at major waterworks in the United Kingdom, notably the Metropolitan Water Board Railway
between Hampton
and the Kempton Park
waterworks.
in Kensington
on the T-junction of Campden Hill Gardens and Aubrey Walk. Designed by the same architect it was visually almost identical to the Kew Bridge standpipe tower (which is only a standpipe tower, and not a chimney as well).
, The Bill
, Doctor Who
(Remembrance of the Daleks
) and Industrial Age
. As well as many music videos and feature films, including Jude Law
's The Wisdom of Crocodiles
, it was also used as the location for the 1991-1995 title sequence of the BBC
music show Top of the Pops
.
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage
European Route of Industrial Heritage
The European Route of Industrial Heritage is a network of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. The aim of the project is to create interest for the common European Heritage of the Industrialisation and its remains...
. It is situated in Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
by Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge is a bridge in London over the River Thames. The present bridge was designed by John Wolfe-Barry and opened in 1903 by King Edward VII. The bridge was givenGrade II listed structure protection in 1983.- Location :...
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The Kew Bridge Pumping Station was originally opened in 1838 by the Grand Junction Waterworks CompanyGrand Junction Waterworks Company
The Grand Junction Waterworks Company was a utility company supplying water to parts of west London in England. The company was formed as an off-shoot of the Grand Junction Canal Company in 1811 and became part of the publicly-owned Metropolitan Water Board in 1903.-Origins:The company was created...
, following a decision to close an earlier pumping station
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
at Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
due to poor water quality. In the years up to 1944 the site expanded, with the addition of more steam pumping engines as well as four Allen diesel pumps and four electric pumping sets. The steam engines were retired from service in 1944, although two were kept on standby up until 1958, when a demonstration run of the Harvey & Co. 100 inch engine marked the final time steam would operate at the site.
The Metropolitan Water Board decided not to scrap the resident steam pumping engines and set them aside to form the basis of a museum display at a later date. This action bore fruit in 1973 with the formation of the Kew Bridge Engines Trust.
Today the site remains an internationally-recognised museum of steam pumping engines as a reminder of the many pumping stations spread throughout London and the UK. In 1999, the United Kingdom government Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
described Kew Bridge as "the most important historic site of the water supply industry in Britain".{Listed Building Description TQ 1877 787/18/10064}
Engines
The museum houses the world's largest collection of Cornish beam enginesCornish engine
A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier engines designed by James Watt...
, including the largest working beam engine, the Grand Junction 90 Engine, which has a cylinder diameter of 90 inches and was used to pump water to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for 98 years. This machine is over forty feet high and weighs about 250 tons. It was described by author Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
as 'a monster'. This engine is still steamed once a month for public viewing and additionally also for private parties. There are also several other large working Cornish beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
s, a triple-expansion engine and several rotative steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s.
In 2008, the museum completed the restoration of its Bull Engine, which is one of only four known examples in the world, and the only engine in its original location and still working. The Bull engine was built in 1856 and first steamed in restoration in 2006.
One of the museum's Allen Diesel engines is also on display and operated most weekends subject to staffing levels.
Railway
The steam museum is home to London's only operating steam railway. The gauge narrow gauge railway is run by volunteers of the museum and in 2009 saw the debut of the museum's new "Wren" class locomotive, "Thomas Wicksteed", following the departure of Hampshire Narrow Gauge Trust-owned Quarry Hunslet 'Cloister'. The line runs for 400 yards around the Kew Bridge site and passenger trains are operated on Sundays during the summer months also Bank Holiday Mondays and on other special days.The railway was inspired by similar facilities provided at major waterworks in the United Kingdom, notably the Metropolitan Water Board Railway
Metropolitan Water Board Railway
The Metropolitan Water Board Railway was a narrow gauge industrial railway built to serve the Metropolitan Water Board's pumping station at Kempton Park near London. The line was opened in 1916 and closed shortly after the Second World War.- History :...
between Hampton
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
and the Kempton Park
Kempton Park Steam Engines
The Kempton Park Steam Engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park waterworks, Middlesex, London. Each engine is of a similar size to that used in RMS Titanic and rated at about 1008 hp...
waterworks.
Exhibitions
Special exhibitions take place on a number of weekends each year (see Official Website for details).Other locations
A chimney-standpipe tower used to stand on top of Campden HillCampden Hill
Campden Hill is an area of high ground in west London between Notting Hill, Kensington and Holland Park.The area is characterised by large Victorian houses. It is also the site of reservoirs established in the 19th century by the Grand Junction Waterworks Company and the West Middlesex Waterworks...
in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
on the T-junction of Campden Hill Gardens and Aubrey Walk. Designed by the same architect it was visually almost identical to the Kew Bridge standpipe tower (which is only a standpipe tower, and not a chimney as well).
Use in television
The museum has been a filming location for episodes of TV serials including EastEndersEastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
) and Industrial Age
Industrial Age
Industrial Age may refer to:*Industrialisation*The Industrial Revolution...
. As well as many music videos and feature films, including Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
's The Wisdom of Crocodiles
The Wisdom of Crocodiles
The Wisdom of Crocodiles is a 1998 romantic thriller by Po-Chih Leong starring Jude Law. It is based on the book of the same name by Paul Hoffman.-Cast:Jude Law - Steven Grlscz Elina Löwensohn - Anne Levels...
, it was also used as the location for the 1991-1995 title sequence of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
music show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
See also
- Kempton Park Steam EnginesKempton Park Steam EnginesThe Kempton Park Steam Engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park waterworks, Middlesex, London. Each engine is of a similar size to that used in RMS Titanic and rated at about 1008 hp...
- Metropolitan Water Board RailwayMetropolitan Water Board RailwayThe Metropolitan Water Board Railway was a narrow gauge industrial railway built to serve the Metropolitan Water Board's pumping station at Kempton Park near London. The line was opened in 1916 and closed shortly after the Second World War.- History :...
- Pumping stationPumping stationPumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...