Crofton Beam Engines
Step into our industrial and social history from a time when steam was king
The market town of Marlborough sits around 5 miles North West from Crofton within the stunning scenery of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With its long wide high street, historic buildings, as well as a mix of independent and chain retail stores, it’s very much a hub of activity and a …
Would you like to come and see us in the winter when we’re normally closed? Then read on..! It’s well known that during the winter Crofton normally closes to the public so that our dedicated volunteers can undertake a range of essential maintenance works and then get the station ready for the start of the …
“An Evening of Victorian and Edwardian Entertainment”, a Magic Lantern and Phonograph Show presented by David Bayley of the Magic Lantern Society This delightful festive-themed evening for all the family showcases authentic Victorian and Edwardian cinematography technology and projection techniques and is in two parts: An exhibition by Market Lavington Museum of their collection of …
Curious what goes on at Crofton Beam Engines during the winter? Then come along to one of our five Saturday Winter Work Open Days between 10:30am and 3:00pm to see and meet some of our dedicated volunteers carrying out essential maintenance tasks on our wonderful old engines. It’s FREE ADMISSION but donations are appreciated and… …
Mechatronics is a unique project to investigate how modern technology can improve our knowledge of the two-hundred-year-old engineering technology that works at Crofton Beam Engines, working in partnership with a team from AWE at Aldermaston. The image here shows the AWE team at Crofton at the successful conclusion of the instrumentation project on our #1 …
Crofton was delighted to welcome colleagues from across the country to the latest meeting of the Wiltshire Museums Group yesterday, 10 October. We heard a range of fascinating presentations on the theme of audience development and discussed a range of topics around the latest thinking on this essential subject in museum practice. Crofton is an …
In 1940, the Germans succeed in destroying the Spitfire factories in Southampton, believing they have ended the threat from their nemesis. But unknown to them, the British decide to build Spitfires in secret. Rural Towns and cities in the South of England become a major centre for manufacturing Spitfires, hidden in sheds, garages, back gardens, …
This fascinating talk, was first of Crofton’s six month programme of winter season events and activities at venues all over Wiltshire, takes us on a journey from the early foot powered bicycles to modern petrol power taking in pedals and steam power along the way, looking what speeded and impeded the developments and how society …
The team at Crofton Beam Engines had the pleasure of visiting two fascinating and contrasting heritage visitor attractions in Southampton last Saturday. A party of 22 Crofton volunteers and staff spent the afternoon as guests of Marketing Director Nigel Philpott and the team at SS Shieldhall enjoying a memorable Solent cruise. Like Crofton, SS Shieldhall …
What a great summer’s evening last night with the thespian ladies of The HandleBards performing Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ at Crofton! If you were one of the 116 who came along, we hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for supporting Crofton and the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust! If you came along please give us …
The world’s first cycling theatre company, The HandleBards, pedal from venue to venue with all the set, props and costume necessary to perform environmentally sustainable Shakespeare across the globe. The all-female troupe came to Crofton Beam Engines for a bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s ’The Tempest’ like none other. In usual HandleBards style, expect riotous amounts …
In early December last year Simon and I took a trip down to the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum to meet with Special Events Manager Trevor Marks. We were given a tour around the various hangers, learnt about the range of aircrafts on display, and met a few of the dedicated volunteers who …
