Crofton Beam Engines

Step into our industrial and social history from a time when steam was king

Opening Days

Next Non-Steaming Weekend May 11th

Next Steaming Weekend April 20th-21st

What's On 2025 Season

Private Group Tours 2025

Throughout the year we offer private group tours via prior arrangement on selected days.

A group is a minimum of 8 people.

For more information or to book a visit, please contact us.

Contact Us

Gallery

A selection of historical photographs taken at Crofton

A barge on the canal
Honey Street Boatyard (Clock now in Boiler House at Crofton)
A boat on the canal at Crofton
Tony and Lew Cundick in ‘fancy dress’ some time in the early 1970s
The wooden beams at Crofton
Roy Simmons & Ron Plaster lifting the beam on No 1 Engine (E.Addis)
The boiler at Crofton
Front of original Great Western Railway Lancashire boiler 109
Fining a screw at crofton
Recovery of Archimedes Screw from Canal 1973 (suspect carried out by canal restoration volunteers though not at Crofton
Crofton tunnel under railway line
Access tunnel from the Coal Yard to the Canal under railway
The Duke of Edinburgh meeting the team at Crofton
HRH Duke of Edinburgh visit – 8th June 1976. Nick Reynolds (Crofton Chairman) standing on right.
Maintenance of the boiler
Side Boiler House after GWR Boiler 110 had been cut up & removed
A crane moving the boiler
Relocation of the ‘Spare’ Lancashire Boiler from the Car Park to its current location beside Pumphouse Cottage.
School party visit 1980
School party visit (13/2/80) – volunteer standing on top of the boiler not known.
Wire scrubbing
Peter Smart wire scrubbing waterside inside the boiler 14/11/79
Relaying the fire bricks on the boiler
Basil Hunt relaying fire bricks to insulate the boiler 22/03/80
Releasing the air pump rod
Releasing the Air Pump rod – No 1 engine (1969)
George Waters with boiler No. 1
Original GWR Boiler 109 in main Boiler House by George Waters
Duke of Edinburg visits Crofton
HRH Duke of Edinburgh visit – 8th June 1976
Tim firing the boiler
George Waters – Original Great Western Railways 109 boiler fired by Tim
Barge stranded on the canal
Stranded narrow boat at Crofton lock. (taken during Newcomen Society engine trials 1949. N.G.Calvert)
Condenser before cleaning
No. 2 Condenser tank before cleaning

Photographs from Recent Years

Leat restoration Sept 2023
Volunteers working on suspected Boiler Feed Pump engineering puzzle Aug 2023
Top Lawn Picnic Area
2023 Pop-Up refreshment
Volunteer giving tour to family visitors
Assistant Site Manager giving private tour on Beam Gallery
The Crofton Leat on a Steaming Day in 2023
The Front of House welcome Spring 2023
Steam Experience 2019
Crofton Outreach at Lockeridge
Classroom layout, children looking at presentation on screen. Teacher in front pointing at the school.
School Visit 2023
Stratton Fire and Rescue exercise Nov 2022
Crofton beam Engines celebrates Heritage Open Days 2022
Terracotta brick building with tall brick chimney surrounded by green lush grass, trees and fields.
Crofton Beam Engines from the South
12 Socially Distanced Volunteers from our 12 Days of Crofton Christmas 2021
The Honey Street Clock in the Boiler House
Crofton volunteers on a Steaming Day
Crofton 2018 Toilet Block Extension
The toilet block construction as part of the NHLF funded project Our Crofton Story in 2018
Crofton Pumping Station in the snow 2019
Crofton in the snow in 2019
The Tempest performed by The Handlebards in 2019
AWE students involved in the Mechatronics Project
Professor Elemental and Volunteer – Steampunk event 2019
The Beam Gallery 2023
The Cylinder Head 2023
Cleaning the boilerA volunteer at CroftonThe Crofton engineWatching the water pump outThe dedicated team of volunteers at CroftonVintage cars as Crofton's Steam GalaOrnate cylinder headPhill Harding driving the engineCrofton Pumping Station in the snow 2019

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