The London Museum of Water & Steam

The London Museum of Water & Steam, originally the Kew Bridge Steam Museum, was rebranded in 2014 after a major renovation. Located at the historic Kew Bridge Pumping Station in Brentford, near the River Thames, the museum houses an impressive collection of stationary water-pumping steam engines from 1820 to 1910. It features the Grand Junction 90-inch, the largest working Cornish engine globally. The site is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH).

Opened in 1838 by the Grand Junction Waterworks Company, the Kew Bridge Pumping Station expanded to house six steam engines, four Allen diesel pumps, and four electric pump sets by 1944. The steam engines were retired by 1958. The Metropolitan Water Board preserved these engines, leading to the museum's creation by the Kew Bridge Engines Trust in 1974.

The museum is internationally significant, showcasing London's evolution of water pumping. It received an Engineering Heritage Award in 1997 and another in 2008 for restoring the Bull engine. The museum boasts the world's largest collection of Cornish cycle beam engines, including the Grand Junction 90-inch, described by Charles Dickens as “a monster.”

Additionally, the museum operates an 1860 Shand Mason Fire Engine on special event days and a 2 ft narrow-gauge railway featuring a Wren Class steam locomotive named after engineer Thomas Wicksteed. The railway runs 400 yards around the museum site and operates on weekends and special occasions.

The site includes numerous Grade I and Grade II listed buildings, such as the original engine house from 1837 and the Great Engine House from 1845 and 1869. Its most striking feature is the 200 ft high Victorian standpipe tower, constructed in 1867 and Grade I listed.

The museum has been a popular filming location for TV series, music videos, and films, including *EastEnders*, *Doctor Who*, *The Wisdom of Crocodiles* with Jude Law, and the BBC music show *Top of the Pops* (1991-1995). After its 2014 relaunch, it featured in the TV series “PREMature”.