Claymills Victorian Pumping Station

About the museum

Claymills pumping station opened in 1885 to improve public health in Burton upon Trent. Before then more than half of the town's households still used buckets, and household and brewery waste ran through open drains into the River Trent, which led to outbreaks of disease. Four compound beam engines built by Gimson and Company of Leicester pumped the sewage away to a sewage farm, working in pairs and never all together.

The engines were steam powered from Lancashire boilers; the current five boilers date from 1936 and 1937. The site also holds more than thirty smaller steam engines, a Victorian workshop and a dynamo house with an early Crompton dynamo. The pumps were replaced and the engines stopped around 1969 to 1971, after which the site fell into disrepair.

The Claymills Pumping Engines Trust was founded in 1993 and took on the restoration with volunteers. The engines returned to steam one after another, the first in 2000, and the complex is now an accredited museum. On steaming weekends the engines run and volunteers explain how the station worked; on other days visitors can look round the buildings on their own or join a guided tour.

Highlights

• Four Woolf compound beam engines built in 1885, each with a 24-ton flywheel
• Five Lancashire boilers installed in 1936 and 1937
• Dynamo house with an early Crompton dynamo
• More than thirty smaller steam engines on the site
• Victorian workshop and a steam-heated bath-house

Founded

1993

Operated by

Claymills Pumping Engines Trust

Admission & discounts

The prices apply on steaming days and are paid on arrival; no bookings are taken. Admission on all other days, including static viewing days, is by donation. Car parking is free. Gift Aid visitors receive a ticket valid for 12 months.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All areas are level access except the upper floors of the engine houses, which wheelchairs cannot reach; the café has a ramp. The grounds are mostly level but uneven in places. A wheelchair-accessible toilet is next to the café. Blue Badge parking is on the road opposite the level crossing. An access statement can be downloaded from the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Children's activities are prepared on steaming days, and a rat trail around the site leads young visitors through the station. Children aged 15 and under are free on steaming days with a paying adult.

Getting there & parking

From the A38 take the north Burton (Clay Mills) exit onto the A5121; Meadow Lane is about ½ mile from the junction. Sat nav postcode DE13 0DA; what3words for the main gate: rating.audio.brass. Observe the level crossing lights on Meadow Lane.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Stoker's Rest Café and Bookshop is open during normal opening hours with hot and cold drinks and cold snacks; more food is available on steaming days. Visitors may bring their own food and drink. The bookshop sells books, magazines, jigsaw puzzles and memorabilia.

Events & venue rental

Private steamings, school and group visits and illustrated talks can be arranged outside normal opening hours.

Plan your visit