London Museum of Water & Steam

During the weekend of the 16th & 17th December, Santa is taking a break from his busy schedule to visit the Museum! Meeting in the Museum’s shop, you’ll follow Mrs. Claus to find Santa in the museum. During your time with Santa, you’ll sing a song or two, be able to take some pictures and receive a special present! You can find more information here, or tickets can be purchased here.

The London Museum of Water & Steam is a fantastic attraction for the kids to enjoy, with interactive exhibits, an outdoor splash zone, and a relaxing cafe and shop, as well as the old steam machines and railway engine.

On entering the museum you will pass through the Waterworks Gallery, which tells the story of London’s water supply through the ages using interactive exhibits, artefacts and interesting displays. There is an amazing collection of vintage baths, sinks, toilets, and boilers – all hanging on one huge wall. You’ll find out how techniques were developed to maintain a water supply to London’s growing population, and where your water comes from and goes to now.

You’ll then enter the heart of the museum, which is full of enormous steam pumping engines demonstrating the major developments in steam engine technology. On selected days, some of these engines are lovingly put into action by a team of volunteers – talk to them and it’s hard for some of their enthusiasm not to rub off! The engines really are impressive, and also beautiful works of engineering at the same time. The kids will be enthralled.

On a nice day, there are also a couple of lovely outside areas. There is an amazing Splash Zone for the children, full of features where they can experiment with water using wheels, pumps, pipes, levers, buckets and more. Once they start playing you’ll be hard pushed to get them away again, so enjoy a moment’s peace in the historic courtyard. The courtyard is also where you can sometimes embark on a short ride on steam and diesel locomotives, which is always a highlight for the kids (please note the railway only operates on certain days, so please see the Museum’s website for details). There is also a garden close to the entrance of the Museum, which is well worth a quick walk around and also makes a great spot for a picnic.

The Museum has put a handy guide together with the top things for families to see and do, split by different age groups.

After you’ve enjoyed exploring the museum’s exhibits, you can pay the Pump & Grind Coffee Shop a visit. It serves a selection of cakes and light meals, including delicious daily specials freshly prepared onsite at the Museum, in a lovely setting near the entrance to the museum. Pump & Grind is also a training venue for young people with learning disabilities or autism, and the young people the Museum works with are keen to go into the workplace, whether that be in hospitality or beyond. In the same area, there’s a shop which stocks a wide array of goodies for grown-ups and children alike.

The London Museum of Water & Steam can be found at Green Dragon Lane in Brentford, TW8 0EN. During term-time it is open from 10.00am-4.00pm Thursday to Sunday. During some holidays it is open every day from 10.00am-4.00pm Please check website for details). For more information you can give them a call on 020 8568 4757.

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