Markfield Beam Engine and Museum boasts the the only surviving 8 column beam engine still in situ!
This remarkable engine was built by Wood Brothers, of Sowerby Bridge,Yorkshire, between 1886 and 1888 and is thought to be the last engine they ever built!
It saw continuous sewage-pumping duty from 1888 to around 1905, then it was relegated to standby duty for storm water pumping.
It is still housed in its original (now Grade II listed) engine house!
It is a free-standing compound rotative type of beam engine and has two cylinders arranged to be double acting and compound. This double-expansion compound system, developed by Arthur Woolf around 1804, uses the steam twice. First off, the steam is let into a high-pressure cylinder, where it is allowed to lose half of its pressure before being let into the next, low pressure cylinder. In the second cylinder it can do a bit more work before it is condensed and rendered useless. This system allows for smooth running and used less fuel.
There are 2 pumps and each pump was capable of moving 2 million gallons-per-day!
When the engine pumped the sewage, it consumed 4 hundredweight (200 kilos) of coal per hour, yes per hour! 2 men had to live on-site to keep stoking her boiler!
There is a sweet museum and café here, but it’s all about the beam engine! Try and catch it on a steaming day for the full demonstration! Find out more HERE!
Situated in Markfield Park, there are also pleasant walks to be had.
Markfield Rd, London N15 4RB
Markfield Beam Engine and Museum boasts the the only surviving 8 column beam engine still in situ!
This remarkable engine was built by Wood Brothers, of Sowerby Bridge,Yorkshire, between 1886 and 1888 and is thought to be the last engine they ever built!
It saw continuous sewage-pumping duty from 1888 to around 1905, then it was relegated to standby duty for storm water pumping.
It is still housed in its original (now Grade II listed) engine house!
It is a free-standing compound rotative type of beam engine and has two cylinders arranged to be double acting and compound. This double-expansion compound system, developed by Arthur Woolf around 1804, uses the steam twice. First off, the steam is let into a high-pressure cylinder, where it is allowed to lose half of its pressure before being let into the next, low pressure cylinder. In the second cylinder it can do a bit more work before it is condensed and rendered useless. This system allows for smooth running and used less fuel.
There are 2 pumps and each pump was capable of moving 2 million gallons-per-day!
When the engine pumped the sewage, it consumed 4 hundredweight (200 kilos) of coal per hour, yes per hour! 2 men had to live on-site to keep stoking her boiler!
There is a sweet museum and café here, but it’s all about the beam engine! Try and catch it on a steaming day for the full demonstration! Find out more HERE!
Situated in Markfield Park, there are also pleasant walks to be had.
Markfield Rd, London N15 4RB
