Crofton Beam Engines Celebrate the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust’s 75th anniversary

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2026 marks the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, which led the fight to save this remarkable waterway from oblivion.

We will also have a visit from Hannah one of the Trust’s broad beam accessibility boots which will be carrying a special exhibition about the Trust. Hannah will be with us all day on Saturday 20th June and for the morning of the 21st June. She is carrying a fascinating exhibition about the Trust's history, present and future. Step aboard one of our wonderful boats that give hige pleasure to very many visitors every year. 

This will be a very special event at Crofton, as we will have our boiler in steam driving over two historic beam engines to celebrate the Anniversary. This is your chance to learn more about the work the Trust did to bring the Canal and Crofton back to life, what we do now, our plans and how you can help. 

As part of our celebrations, we will be burning a biofuel on Saturday. This biofule is a by-product of the rape seed oil industry. We are currently trialling this as an alternative to coal. We hope, that if we cannot get coal in the future, we can keep our mighty boiler in steam and our engines working for future generations to admire and to learn about the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. 

There will be plenty for all the family to do, from visiting Hannah to exploring our wonderful beam engines in their Georgian Grade I listed building. There will be lots of activites for children from watching our duck race, learning how water can lifted in many ways, including using hands on large scale models, having fun in our crafting area and just enjoying our beautiful outdoor spaces.

Our tearoom will be opne and you are welcome to bring a picnic while taking in the beautiful views of Wilton Water and beyond. 

For more information visit https://croftonbeamengines.org/