The Crossness Engines Trust

15/06/2020

In the second week of our participation in #LFADigital2020 we'll be showcasing a great documentary short directed by Philip Kolff "Waste In Style”
http://www.crossness.org.uk/festivalgallery.html

10/06/2020

The National Archives is home to a treasure-trove of historical documents. Here's a link to a blog by Chris Day on the cholera epidemics of the 19th Century.
https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/computing-cholera-topic-modelling-the-catalogue-entries-of-the-general-board-of-health/?utm_source=emailmarketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_mailer__4_june_2020&utm_content=2020-06-04

08/06/2020

We're proud to be included in London Festival of Architecture's month-long celebration. Our first event is a series of 360˚ images on our website to virtually explore the Grade 1 listed Engine House
http://www.crossness.org.uk/festivalgallery.html

07/06/2020

Tomorrow marks the start of our participation in the London Festival of Architecture. This year's theme is Power #steampower
https://www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/event/crossness-360/

02/06/2020

Our favourite line from the Monkman and Seagull programme last night - did everyone see it?

01/06/2020

This week we celebrate #VolunteersWeek. The Crossness volunteers rescued these magnificent buildings and machines from decay and obscurity to share with everybody.
If you're interested in joining us, please visit our website for more information http://www.crossness.org.uk/volunteer.html

01/06/2020

Steven

Less than 3 hours to go before we can see Crossness again!

Tonight at 9 pm on BBC2 episode 3 of Monkman & Seagull’s Genius Adventures visits the Crossness Pumping Station.

08/05/2020

Gallery

We've created a Gallery on our website where you can see some of the events that have taken place at Crossness
http://www.crossness.org.uk/gallery.html

The images shown here are copyright of Crossness Engines Trust. They may be download for personal use. Permission will be required for commercial use.

08/05/2020

Although we can't visit Crossness at the moment, we can enjoy this fantastic image sent to us by Kristina Dolan https://m.facebook.com/107337420955771

01/05/2020

Thanks to Jenny Collins for spotting this on Old Photos of Essex, Kent & London

Alan Russell
@soxgnasher
Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley, London outside the entrance to the Engine House at Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley. Originally called the Southern Outfall Works, it was officially opened on 4th April 1865.English Heritage NMR

30/04/2020

Thank you for joining us on this virtual visit. We hope to see you soon
#MuseumFromHome

30/04/2020

Before the lockdown, work had restarted on Victoria which was being painted. In addition the pierced iron floor around her was being restored. #MuseumFromHome

30/04/2020

Prince Consort in steam

The magnificent Prince Consort beam engine in action during one of our Open Days
#MuseumFromHome

🎥 Bob Tovey, Steven Elliot James

30/04/2020

We've been raiding the archives to remind ourselves what an amazing place we have at Crossness: a Grade 1 listed building housing the world's largest rotative beam engine #MuseumfromHome

10/04/2020

As a result of the advice offered by Government relating to the Covid -19 pandemic we have concluded that we have to cancel planned open days and guided tours for the time being.
All Open Days and all group visits have been cancelled until the end of June. We will review the situation in early June and decide what action we need to take then based on the latest available guidance from the Government and the NHS.
Our apologies for the inconvenience and disappointment this causes.

04/04/2020

Katriina

Thanks for sending this to us Katriina, hopefully we'll see you again soon

Hello, I visited this place twice a long time ago and I have just written a short photo article about my visits. You can read it in my blog. This is the link:

04/04/2020

155 years ago today, the Prince of Wales officially opened the Metropolitan Drainage Works at Crossness

28/03/2020

Steven

Virtual celebration of the 201st anniversary of the birth of Sir Joseph Bazalgette

Was Sir Joseph Bazalgette the model for the Thames Water logo?
Watch and decide.

17/03/2020

Following the latest advice from the Government, the Trust has decided that Open Days and visits to the Crossness site during March and April should be cancelled. We will review our position in early April in the context of the then current advice.
We understand that our decision will disappoint many of you and we are sorry that we have had to take this action.
As soon as we have any updates or new information we will share via our website, page and Twitter.

07/03/2020

It’s ALIVE!

28/02/2020

Work has started on The Thing - we’re hoping to have it working for the next Open Day on 5th April

21/02/2020

Steampunk sauna? Almost. The original expansion joint in Prince Consort was leaking so we tried using Victoria’s. Luckily a new one was sourced and is now being fitted
🎥 Alan Wyborn

14/01/2020

We'll be hosting author Stephen Halliday as part of the Bexley Libraries Book Buzz prorgramme. This is a great opportunity to hear about his new book, visit our Exhibitions and tour the Engine House on Saturday, 22nd February.
Ticket-only event and tickets can be obtained via Eventbrite http://bit.ly/SHbookCET

07/01/2020

Victoria in October and Victoria today. She’s starting to look glamorous 😊 #TransformationTuesday

17/12/2019

Avi

The real deal.

Buffalo NY on the banks of Lake Erie and the Niagara river. Buffalo's Hidden treasure are the Holly Steam Pumps at the Col. Francis G. Ward Pumping Station on Porter Ave. Built by the Holly Manufacturing Co., Buffalo N.Y. in 1914, they still exist today in their original configuration complete and intact. The five engines each stand 60 ft. tall and weigh in at 1100 tons apiece and capable of pumping up to 30,000,000 (million) gallons per day each.

16/12/2019

Dates for the 2020 Family Open Days and Guided Tours are now on our website [in Visit Us].
http://www.crossness.org.uk/visit.html

12/12/2019

A view of the Engine House in the 1950s
#throwbackthursday

11/12/2019

Nearly there ... Fundraising has just started to help finish the track and lower platform. All donations are gratefully received

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/rang-railway-at-crossness

10/12/2019

Work has started on the pierced decorative floor around Victoria #rustbegone

18/11/2019

Another one filmed, in part, at Crossness.

OUT MONDAY! See Nicholas Hoult's electrifying portrayal of Nikola Tesla, the visionary genius and inventor. Discover the part he played in the battle to illuminate the world!

⚡️PRE-ORDER NOW!⚡️ https://amzn.to/2qUMZPp

#THECURRENTWAR Available to OWN 18th November.

30/10/2019

Interesting article taken from the Illustrated London News.

"Not many local people are aware that the Erith / Belvedere area was once subject to one of the largest non – nuclear explosions in history.
Back in 1864 there were two commercial gunpowder factories – that of John Hall and Son and the Elterwater and Lowood Gunpowder company situated on the marsh land that at that time existed parallel to the River Thames between Slade Green in the East and Plumstead in the West. Both factories were physically isolated from residential areas, and many precautions were taken to prevent any kind of fire; workers had to wear felt slippers, and all equipment was made of wood, or lined with copper to prevent sparks; understandably smoking was strictly prohibited.
At about 6.40 am on Saturday the first of October 1864 all these precautions proved worthless, when there was a massive explosion which totally destroyed both gunpowder factories, their store magazines and a couple of barges that were being loaded with barrels of gunpowder at the time. No contemporary account exists of exactly what caused the accident, as the eyewitnesses were instantly vapourised. The explosion was heard as far away as Cambridge, and the shock wave was so intense that people in central London were convinced that there had been an earthquake. One report at the time said that as rescuers hurried to the site they found a massive crater and absolutely no signs of any buildings were left “it was if the place had been swept clean by a broom”. Surprisingly there were only around twenty casualties, as though the explosion was huge, the remote location prevented greater loss of life. Witnesses said that a huge pall of black smoke, shaped like a mushroom hung in the air for an hour afterwards. Five of the victims were classed as “missing” as nothing remained of them to bury. The injured were taken to Guy’s Hospital at London Bridge, where some then succumbed to their injuries. The Perth Gazette and West Australian Times (the story made world headlines) also curiously reported that a man escaped serious injury, but did have “his right whisker blown off, and he has not been seen since”. The unknown reporter then comments “The damage done to property extends to a radius of over twenty miles; the effect upon domestic animals is said to have been very remarkable. Thousands of pets succumbed with fright – the mortality to Canaries being particularly great”. The army was called from the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich to assist with emergency repairs to the river wall, which had been destroyed to a length of three hundred yards from the epicentre of the blast. Fortunately the tide was low at the time, and the Royal Engineers assisted by civilian navvies and some volunteers barely managed to temporarily block the gap before the tide rose. Had they not, much of Lower Belvedere would have been flooded as later happened in 1953. Considering the size of the explosion – it is estimated that something between 45 and 100 tons of gunpowder were detonated, the long term damage was pretty light, though the superintendent of Crossness Sewage Works did put in a grumpy claim for £150 for plate glass that had been damaged by the blast – this sounds like some very creative accounting on his part, as the works was still being constructed at the time, and did not actually go into operation until nearly a year later."

27/10/2019

Perfect Harmony

There was a photo shoot today with four ladies of the Maconchy String Quartet; Maren Bosma, Eloise Macdonald, Joanna Patrick and Lilly Hope. Plus their photographer/artist Benjamin Deakin. The session went very well.

19/10/2019

Steven

Steven

All over the place on CBBC features Crossness.
Starts at 17:49

04/10/2019

Our next Family Open Day is 20th October

01/10/2019

Dramatic skies over Crossness this afternoon #nofilter