Much-loved Herefordshire waterworks museum celebrates milestone

A HEREFORDSHIRE museum is celebrating a milestone anniversary as it enters its 50th year.

Founded by a group of heritage enthusiasts in April 1975, the Waterworks Museum at Hereford Victorian Pumping Station, built to supply clean water for Herefordshire, has become something of a Herefordshire must-visit. A thriving tourist attraction, it has one of the country’s widest collections of pumping engines, including early beam and hot-air machines.

The vision of founding member Stephen Southall with colleagues William Herbert Austin, Herbert Penhale and John Townsend was to tell the story of water supply while preserving and restoring machinery and engines for public enjoyment. The Victorian building has been restored and the original Worth Mackenzie steam engine, which used to take water from the Wye and pump it to the adjacent treatment works, remains a key feature.

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The collection itself has grown to include additional water treatment exhibits and buildings. Its 50th anniversary year will continue this tradition with the opening of two newly restored exhibits, the Sisson Engine Set – opened on May 26 by former museum chairman Richard Curtis - and the Brockhampton Set, which will be unveiled on August 11. The Mayor of Hereford, Councillor Kevin Tillett, led the celebratory opening of the Victorian building and working engines on May 26.

Throughout its life as a museum, the Pumping Station remains extremely grateful for the encouragement, endorsement and financial support of its two benefactors, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and the Southall Trust.

The museum receives no public funding and solely relies on volunteers. Chair of trustees Jill Phillips said how “astounding” it is that the heritage museum stays open and “comes to life through its dedicated volunteers”.

The volunteers’ efforts were recognised last year “with the highest accolade for any volunteer community - the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. I am enormously proud and grateful to the efforts, skills and passion of volunteers both past and present,” Ms Phillips said.

The museum and its café are open every Tuesday from 11am to 4pm, and will hold its next weekend steam day on June 9.