Follow The Steam

Crofton Beam Engines are a remarkable example of early 19th-century steam engineering, situated near the village of Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. These historic engines were built to pump water into the highest point of the Kennet and Avon Canal, an essential feat that made the canal navigable and supported Britain’s burgeoning industrial revolution. Constructed in 1807-09, the Crofton Pumping Station houses the oldest working steam engines in the world still performing their original function. The beam engines were pivotal in maintaining water levels on the canal, which was a major transport route for goods and raw materials during the Industrial Age.