Waterworks Museum - Hereford
Museum in the Victorian Broomy Hill pumping station in Hereford, with more than 50 historic engines and pumps and a hands-on water park.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum occupies the Broomy Hill pumping station, which supplied drinking water to Hereford. The earliest part was built in 1856, when a beam engine began pumping water from the River Wye to a reservoir on the hill. A second beam engine followed in 1862, a large triple expansion engine was installed in 1895, and the western annexe of 1906 completed a building that had been extended five times in 50 years. The pumping station is Grade II* listed. Its story is closely linked to public health: the waterworks was built to replace unsanitary supplies and the diseases, such as cholera and typhoid, that went with them.
The museum has been open since 1974 and is run by an accredited charitable trust. Its collection includes more than 50 machines, among them beam, hot-air, gas and diesel engines and a triple expansion steam engine that the museum describes as the oldest working example of its type in Britain. Engines and pumps from the former waterworks at Leominster and Alton Court, Ross-on-Wye, are also displayed.
On selected operating days the engines run on steam as they were designed to. Other displays cover the journey of water from river to tap, developed with Welsh Water, a Second World War evacuee’s bedroom and period kitchen, and firefighting equipment. Children can play with water in the Noel Meeke Heritage Water Park, and a miniature railway run by the Hereford Society of Model Engineers operates in the grounds.
Highlights
- Oldest working triple expansion steam engine in Britain, according to the museum
- More than 50 engines and pumps, including beam, hot-air, gas and diesel engines
- “Water on Tap” exhibit on how drinking water reaches the tap
- Second World War evacuee’s bedroom, period kitchen and firefighting displays
- Hands-on water park for children
Permanent exhibitions
- Engine collection – More than 50 working water-pumping machines from 1850 to 2000, including beam, hot-air, gas and diesel engines and a triple expansion steam engine.
- Water on Tap – An exhibit developed with Welsh Water showing how river water is screened, pumped and treated before it reaches the tap.
- World War II exhibition – An evacuee’s bedroom and a period kitchen, alongside firefighting displays from a horse-drawn engine to a wartime pump.
- Founded
- 1974
- Operated by
- Waterworks Museum – Hereford (charitable trust)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £4Students aged 16 and over |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Children under 16 are free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · A carer accompanying a disabled visitor is admitted free. |
| Students & apprentices | £4Students aged 16 and over. |
| Operating Sunday – adult | £12Selected Sundays when the machines are operating |
| Operating Sunday – student (16 and over) | £6 |
Prices shown are for Tuesdays; operating Sundays cost more. Members of the museum and members of the Museums Association (card to be shown) enter free. Pre-booked educational visits for schools, colleges and universities are generally free, with donations appreciated.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Most of the building and grounds are accessible, but the floors and outdoor surfaces are uneven in places and the upper part of the site is on higher ground. A wheelchair is available for visitors to use, and an accessibility guide is published on the website. Volunteers can help visitors, describe the engines and pumps, or read signs aloud for visually impaired visitors. Dogs on short leads are allowed in the grounds and building, except in the water park and the café serving area.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
|---|
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Playground / play area
Children under 16 enter free. The Noel Meeke Heritage Water Park lets children lift, pump, filter and squirt water. A museum trail for finding hidden frogs and a water quiz are also offered.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Hereford railway station · 3.2 km
The museum says no bus routes stop near it. Hereford railway station is about 3.2 km away, and the museum suggests a taxi.
By car
Parking available
On-site parking is available; a volunteer can help with parking questions.
Use the postcode HR4 0LJ and follow the brown Waterworks Museum signs. The museum is within a mile of the city centre on foot or by bicycle, and the Wye Valley Walk toward Hay-on-Wye passes nearby.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
The café serves hot and cold drinks, homemade scones, cakes and savouries, and makes sandwiches to order. There is a picnic area and a museum shop.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | On operating days the engines run and guided tours explain the history of the exhibits; no booking is needed. Groups of ten or more can contact the museum to plan a tailored visit, which can include refreshments, an introductory talk, demonstrations and a guided tour. |
