Kew Bridge Steam Museum

E-mail

Telephone

020 8568 4757

Fax

020 8569 9978

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

Housed in a Grade I listed water pumping station built in the 19th century to supply Londoners with water, the museum is recognised as the most important historic site of the water industry in Britain.
The museum's architecture ranges from late Georgian to Italianate with a thriving community of artists housed in the site's external workshop buildings.

Venue Type:

Museum, Industrial heritage site

Opening hours

Open Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00

Closed: Good Friday, June 18th and December 13th to 31st 2010.

Admission charges

Adults: £9.50 (12 month ticket)
Concessions: £8.50 (12 month ticket)
Accompanied children under 15 FREE

Discounts

Museums Association

General services and facilities

Brochure or leaflet available with directions to museum
Foreign language leaflet or brochure available
Guided tours
Pre-booking service for groups
Cafeteria
Gardens open to public
Parking for coaches
Picnic area
Refreshments
Shop

Children and families

Events and resources for children and families
Baby changing facilities

Disability access

Large print information and/or interpretation
Parking for disabled available
Toilets for disabled
Wheelchair access to all public areas
Wheelchairs available for loan

Schools services and facilities

Direct teaching services for schools
Member of staff available with responsibility for education
Primary school education service available
Printed/audio-visual information available for schools
Secondary school education service available
Reception and lunch facilities for educational groups

Research and adult learning

Research facilities for academics

Commercial and hire services

Facilities for private functions and events
Meeting room available

Additional info

Research facilities are available by appointment only.
There is a small locomotive which offers free rides around the site on Sundays, from Easter to October.
Cafe is open weekends only, when the engine collection is in operation.
guided tours for pre-booked groups only.

Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Green Dragon Lane
Brentford
London Borough of Hounslow
TW8 0EN
England

Website

E-mail

Telephone

020 8568 4757

Fax

020 8569 9978

The Steam Museum houses the finest collection of pumping engines in the world, which run in steam every weekend. The pick of the crop is the Grand Junction 90" Cornish Beam engine, which stands three storeys high: you can walk through it as it pumps.
There is also an excellent 'Water for Life' gallery which describes the provision of water to London from Roman times to the present day.

Collection details

Science and Technology, Land Transport, Industry

Key artists and exhibits

Matthew Boulton
James Watt
Richard Trevithick
Cornish Beam engines
Henry Maudslay
Metropolitan Water Board
Thomas Newcomen
Thomas Wicksteed
Edward Bull

Collections services

General guide to collections available
Specialist publications on collections available

Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Green Dragon Lane
Brentford
London Borough of Hounslow
TW8 0EN
England

Website

E-mail

Telephone

020 8568 4757

Fax

020 8569 9978

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

Stirling & Hot Air Engine Rally

4 April 2010

Europe's only gathering of Stirling and Hot Air engine enthusiasts; wonder at the amazing range of extraordinary machinery on show throughout the museum.

Suitable for

All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

Adult: £9.50 (12 month ticket)
Concessions: £8.50 (12 month ticket)
Pre-booked Groups: £6 per adult. to book a group please call 020 8568 4757.

Magic of Meccano Show

17 — 18 April 2010

Come see a wondrous gathering of everything Meccano; see military vehicles, our own Waddon engine in meccano, locomotives, a mini replica of the bridge built out of Meccano on James May's Toy Stories and much more. There will be a variety of hands-on exhibits to try and an area for families to 'have a go' for themselves.

Suitable for

Family friendly
All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

Adult: £9.50 (12 month ticket)
Concession: £8.50 (12 month ticket)
Accompanied children under 15 FREE

Historic Fire Engine Rally

16 May 2010

Fire fighting through the ages comes to life on when Kew Bridge Steam Museum hosts the Historic Fire Engine Rally.
On display will be an impressive collection of fire engines, ranging from 19th and early 20th century steam fire engines, with some in action. Displays and equipment will illustrate fire fighting through the ages, and demonstrations will bring it all to life.

Suitable for

Family friendly
All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

Adult: £9.50 (12 month ticket)
Concession: £8.50 (12 month ticket)
Accompanied children under 15 FREE

Festival of Models

2 — 3 October 2010

Jointly run in support of Kew Bridge Steam Museum and the Medway Queen Preservation Society, the festival promises a great family day out, showcasing models of all shapes and sizes including boats, traction engines, and stationary steam engines. The show offers visitors, especially families, an enjoyable experience with models both old and new on display, including a model boating pool with demonstrations and ‘have-a-go’ sessions.

Suitable for

Family friendly
All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

Adult: £9.50 (12 month ticket)
Concession: £8.50 (12 month ticket)
Accompanied children under 15 FREE

Live Steam Model Railway Show

20 — 21 November 2010

The ever-popular Live Steam Model Railway Show, is guaranteed to entertain railway enthusiasts and families alike with a variety of model railway trains puffing away under their own steam. The show offers visitors a thundering good time, with four model railway layouts, all of which have real steam engines, running throughout the weekend. It promises a great day out with something for all ages.

Suitable for

Family friendly
All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

special admission prices apply, see the museum's website nearer the date for details.

Live Steam Model Railway Show

20 — 21 November 2010

Suitable for

Family friendly
All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

special admission prices apply, see the museum's website nearer the date for details.

Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Green Dragon Lane
Brentford
London Borough of Hounslow
TW8 0EN
England

Website

E-mail

Telephone

020 8568 4757

Fax

020 8569 9978

Events details are listed below. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all. For events that don't have a specific date see the 'Resources' tab above.

Waterworks At War

19 — 20 June 2010

Everyone on the home front had to make do and mend whether it was in the home or at work. Visitors will have to steer clear of ‘Viv the Spiv’ if they don’t want to run afoul of ‘Policeman Pat’ even though spivs are often the only source for those little luxuries such as silk hosiery for the ladies or fine cigars for the gents. Grey or black, it is still a market that needed servicing.Incendiary bombs were a constant threat and it was the wise homeowner who knew how to extinguish the pesky rascals. That is why the Museum will have fire personnel on site to demonstrate how to deal with such problems.

Suitable for

Family friendly
All ages

When

11am-5pm

Where

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

Admission

Adult: £9.50 (12 month ticket)
Concession: £8.50 (12 month ticket)
Accompanied children under 15 FREE

Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Green Dragon Lane
Brentford
London Borough of Hounslow
TW8 0EN
England

Website

E-mail

Telephone

020 8568 4757

Fax

020 8569 9978

Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.

Boxes, objects and other kit

Victorian Washday

A taught primary school session focusing on the effects of a limited water supply on the frequency of washing in Victorian times. Pupils explore the long and laborious process of washing without power; compare the process to modern life; the differences between rich and poor; the tools used; aspects of science - force and friction; solubility; materials. (Group size: 15-18 pupils; Duration: up to 40 minutes; Level: KS2)

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact Kew Bridge Steam Museum and ask to speak to the Learning Officer

Face to face resources

Apprentice Workshop

Pupils visit the museum's original machine workshop where they will see the kind of tools, and (belt-driven) machinery, used in the maintenance of an industrial site. Pupils become 'apprentices' and try their hand at the typical tasks required of an apprentice machine engineer such as using a hand drill, filing and scraping to achieve a precision finish.

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact the museum on 020 8568 4757 to speak with the Learning Officer and receive an information pack.
This session costs £9 per pupil with a class restriction of 22-24 pupils, combined with a choice of 2 - 3 other sessions.

Be a Child Labourer

This taught session focuses aspects of child labour in Victorian times; especially coal mines. Many industries relied on coal as a source of fuel,watersupply being one of them. London also had a variety other forms of child labour that are discussed. The session involves some element of role-play. (Group size: 15-18 pupils; Duration: up to 40 minutes; Level: KS2)

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact the museum to speak with the Learning Officer

Blacksmith's Mate

During thissession pupils become a 'Blacksmith's Mate', theyare given a chance to make something simple of their own to take home. We discuss how the heating process changes the properties of metal to allow blakcsmiths to make different items. This session alsohas a teacher's guide about the working life of a blacksmith in the water supply industry.
(Group size: 22-24 pupils combined with other sessions; Duration 40 minutes; Level: KS2)

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact the museum on 020 8568 4757 to speak with the Learning Officer and obtain an information pack. This contains full details of options and prices according to choices, booking conditions and booking form.

Felterbeds; Old and New

Learn about water filtration, build your own version of a Victorian filterbed and filter water samples. Explore the difference between clean and pure water and compare the traidtional method of water filtration with modern techniques.

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact the museum to speak with the Learning Officer on 020 8568 4757 and a pack will be sent to you with full details of price options and booking conditions and form.

Meet James Watt

Meet the famous late 18th century Scottish engineer who gained world-wide fame by redesigning the steam engine. Who was he and what was he like? What did he invent that made such an impact on the steam engine? Why did this have such amajor impact on 19th century life? pupils become investigative reporters and interview James Watt.

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact the museum on 020 8568 4757 to speak with the Learning Officer and obtain an information pack. This contains information on pricing options and choices, booking conditions and form.
This individual session costs £7.50 per pupil based on a class of 26 pupils, including up to 3 other activities.

Water & Steam

In this session pupils learn how engines, like those at the museum, were invented to solve the problem of drainage in mines, and how they were used for pumping water in London. We investigate different methods of pumping water and the difference the steam engine made to water supply.

Creator

Learning Officer

How to obtain

Please contact the museum to speak with the Learning Officer

Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Green Dragon Lane
Brentford
London Borough of Hounslow
TW8 0EN
England

Website

E-mail