London Museum of Water and Steam

Kew Bridge Pumping Station was originally opened in 1838 by the Grand Junction Waterworks Company, following a decision to close an earlier pumping station at Chelsea due to poor water quality. It originally supplied drinking water to Paddington and Kensington; In the years up to 1944 the site expanded, ultimately housing six steam pumping engines and four Allen diesel pumps. That year, new electric pumps were installed and the steam engines were retired from regular service. Two, however, were kept on standby, until 1958 when a demonstration run of the Harvey & Co. 100 inch engine marked the final time steam power would pump drinking water at the site. The Metropolitan Water Board decided…

In March 2014 the museum reopened to the public following a £2.45 million programme of redevelopment. This was made possible through a £1.845 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding received from Thames Water, Hounslow London Borough Council and a number of charitable trusts. The museum now tells the comprehensive story of London's water supply, from Roman times up to the present day, through a series of displays and artefacts arranged across the site. The Kew Bridge Engine Trust and Water Supply Museum Limited has three principal aims (as first set out in 1973): Today the site is an internationally recognised museum of working steam pumping engines, a…