Crofton Pumping Station, near the village of
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough.
The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taunton ...
in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, England, supplies the
summit pound of the
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the cent ...
with water.
The
steam-powered
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tr ...
pumping station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as well drilling, drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastru ...
is preserved and operates on selected weekends. It contains an operational
Boulton & Watt
Boulton & Watt was an early British engineering and manufacturing firm in the business of designing and making marine and stationary steam engines. Founded in the English West Midlands around Birmingham in 1775 as a partnership between the Engli ...
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.
Description
![Uk-crofton-pumping-station-wilton-water](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Uk-crofton-pumping-station-wilton-water.jpg)
When the canal was built, no reliable water sources were available to fill the summit by normal gravitational means. However, a set of usable
springs were found adjacent to the canal route about east of the summit pound, and about below it. Arrangements were made for these springs to feed the pound below
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
60 at
Crofton Locks
Crofton Locks are a flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, near the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England.
The nine locks achieve a total rise/fall of 61 ft 0 in (18.5 m) and were built under the supervision of engineer John ...
. Some years later a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
(
Wilton Water
Wilton Water (or Wide Waters) is a small reservoir, southwest of the village of Great Bedwyn in the English county of Wiltshire, which supplies the summit pound of the Kennet and Avon Canal with water. The reservoir lies in the parish of Grafton ...
) was created to improve the supply to this pound, and this can now be seen across the canal from the pumping station.
Water from below lock 60 was taken by a
culvert to the foot of a
well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
sunk from the pumping station, which is built on the hillside more than above the canal. The pumps take the water from this well and discharge it into a feeder channel next to the pumping station. The water flows along this channel under the force of
gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
until it reaches the summit pound about to the west.
![Uk-crofton-pumping-station-boilers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Uk-crofton-pumping-station-boilers.jpg)
For day-to-day operation, the pumping station now uses electric pumps, automatically controlled by the water level in the summit pound. However, the original steam driven pumping equipment has been preserved and is still operational. A single operable
Lancashire boiler
A shell or flued boiler is an early and relatively simple form of boiler used to make steam, usually for the purpose of driving a steam engine. The design marked a transitional stage in boiler development, between the early haystack boilers and t ...
provides steam to the engines.
Number 1 engine, built by
Boulton and Watt
Boulton & Watt was an early British engineering and manufacturing firm in the business of designing and making marine and stationary steam engines. Founded in the English West Midlands around Birmingham in 1775 as a partnership between the Engli ...
in 1812 and rebuilt as a
Cornish engine in the 1840s, is a single-acting, condensing engine with a bore of , a stroke of and indicated power of . It drives a
lift pump
A piston pump is a type of positive displacement pump where the high-pressure seal reciprocates with the piston. Piston pumps can be used to move liquids or compress gases. They can operate over a wide range of pressures. High pressure operatio ...
capable of lifting , or approximately one ton of water, per stroke, at a rate of 11 strokes a minute.
Number 2 engine, built by Harvey and Co. of
Hayle
Hayle ( kw, Heyl, "estuary") is a port town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River (which discharges into St Ives Bay) and is approximately seven miles (11 km) northeast of Penzance. ...
in 1846 as a double-acting Sims patent combined cylinder engine and rebuilt in 1903 to a Cornish Engine, is a single-acting, condensing engine with a bore of , a stroke of and indicated power of . It drives a
force pump
A piston pump is a type of positive displacement pump where the high-pressure seal reciprocates with the piston. Piston pumps can be used to move liquids or compress gases. They can operate over a wide range of pressures. High pressure operatio ...
capable of lifting , or approximately one ton of water, per stroke, at a rate of 10.2 strokes a minute.
When the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
built its railway line through the area, it passed very close to the station and between it and the canal. Access between the canal side and the pumping station is now via a very low roofed tunnel.
History
![Uk-crofton-pumping-station-beam-gallery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Uk-crofton-pumping-station-beam-gallery.jpg)
The pumping station was built between 1807 and 1809 in time for the opening of the canal in 1810. The station was built to house two pumping engines, but only one, a bore engine bought second-hand from the
West India Dock Company
The West India Docks are a series of three docks, quaysides and warehouses built to import goods from and export goods and occasionally passengers to the British West Indies on the Isle of Dogs in London the first of which opened in 1802. Followi ...
, was initially installed.
In 1810 a second engine was ordered from Boulton and Watt. This engine, which started work in 1812, is the current number 1 engine, and has been the main engine throughout the steam-driven life of the station.
In 1846 the original 1809 engine was replaced by a new engine supplied by Harvey and Co. and built as a double-acting Sims patent combined cylinder engine. However, this engine proved troublesome and eventually fell into disuse.
In 1903 the 1846 engine was rebuilt as a simple single-acting engine and thus became the current number 2 engine. Both engines then continued in regular use until the 1950s, when the state of the chimney forced the removal of the top . The reduced height chimney was unable to provide sufficient draught for the boiler, and it proved cheaper to retire the steam engines and install electric pumps.
In 1968 the pumping station was bought by the
Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust is a Charitable organization, registered charity and waterway society concerned with the protection and maintenance of the Kennet and Avon Canal throughout Wiltshire and Berkshire.
History
In 1951, the Kennet a ...
with restoration in mind. The building and both engines were restored, and the existing irreparable boiler replaced with another of the same type acquired second hand. Number 1 engine was first successfully steamed on 4 April 1970 and the pumping station was officially reopened on 21 August the same year by
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...
. Number 2 engine was first successfully steamed on 15 November 1971.
The pumping station was designated as
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in 1985.
Initially the problem of the shortened chimney was overcome by the use of an electric fan to improve
draught, but between 1996 and 1997 the chimney was repaired and restored to its full original height of .
In July 2009, the modern electric pumps at Crofton failed. While awaiting repair, British Waterways contacted the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust who put Crofton into steam.
In 2012 the Boulton and Watt engine celebrated its 200th birthday. Several special steamings were held, including a visit from the
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...
.
Visiting
The pumping station opens to visitors and the engines are in steam on designated days.
Location
Position:
Nearby towns and cities:
Hungerford
Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the ...
,
Marlborough
Marlborough may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
** Marlborough College, public school
* Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England
* The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England
Austral ...
,
Newbury,
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
Nearby villages:
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough.
The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taunton ...
,
Wilton,
East Grafton,
Burbage,
Pewsey
Pewsey is a large village and civil parish at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, about south of Marlborough and west of London. It is within reach of the M4 motorway and the A303 and is served by Pewsey railway station on the Re ...
Nearby places of interest:
Wilton Windmill,
Wolfhall
Wulfhall or Wolfhall is an early 17th-century manor house in Burbage parish, Wiltshire, England. It is north-east of Burbage village, and about south-east of Marlborough. A previous manor house on the same site, at that time in the parish of ...
,
Crofton Locks
Crofton Locks are a flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, near the village of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England.
The nine locks achieve a total rise/fall of 61 ft 0 in (18.5 m) and were built under the supervision of engineer John ...
,
Bruce Tunnel
The Bruce Tunnel is on the summit pound of the Kennet and Avon Canal between Wootton Top Lock and Crofton Locks in Wiltshire, England.
The tunnel is long. It is named after Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury (1729–1814), the loc ...
See also
*
Claverton Pumping Station
Claverton Pumping Station in the village of Claverton, Somerset, Claverton, in the English county of Somerset, pumps water from the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon to the Kennet and Avon Canal using power from the flow of the river. It is a Grad ...
, another restored pumping station on the Kennet and Avon canal
References
Bibliography
* Booklet 'Crofton Pumping Station' edition 2, printed by ESP Color Ltd in 2001, no explicit publisher or copyright details but believed to be published by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. Obtained from Crofton Pumping Station in 2004.
External links
*
{{Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
Industrial archaeological sites in the United Kingdom
Grade I listed industrial buildings
Preserved beam engines
Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire
Museums in Wiltshire
Steam museums in England
Canal museums in England
Water supply pumping stations
Cornish engines
Infrastructure completed in 1812
Former pumping stations