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Wiltshire
- Places of Interest
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Crofton Pumping Station
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Gt Bedwyn, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 3DW
Tel: 01672 870300
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Situated in the delightful Wiltshire countryside this Grade 1
listed building houses two magnificent Cornish beam engines, one
of which (the 1812 Boulton and Watt) is the oldest working
beam engine in the world still in its original engine house and capable
of actually doing the job for which it was installed.
Crofton Pumping Station was built in 1807 to provide water
to the summit of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The first
engine installed in the building in 1809 was a 36 inch bore Boulton
and Watt and in 1812 a 42 inch bore Boulton and Watt engine
was installed beside it. The first was replaced in 1846 by a
Sims Combined Cylinders Engine constructed by Harvey of Hayle
which was converted in 1903 to the Cornish Cycle. Both the
1812 Boulton and Watt, and the 1846 Harvey engine are in
working condition, and are regularly steamed publicly through the summer months from a coal
fired Lancashire boiler. When the Pumping Station is in steam, it actually carries out the job for
which it was built, the electrically powered pumps that normally do the job being switched off.
When open, the visiting public have access to all parts of the station, whether in steam
or not, and when in steam, can experience close up the smell and sounds of these wonderful
relics of our past in operation. Refreshments and souvenirs are available in the shop, and there
is plenty of room in the grounds for sitting and enjoying the splendid views. There is parking
for visitors in the car park opposite the gate.
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This
entry is in the Country Living Guide to The South of
England.
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information on this title please
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