Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum — Attraction in Westonzoyland

Westonzoyland is a small village on the Somerset Levels, a few miles from Bridgwater. It is the home of Somerset's earliest steam-powered pumping station (built 1831), once a hard-working guardian of the flatlands, now a museum displaying the largest collection of stationary steam engines and pumps in the South of England.

Pride of place goes to the station's pumping engine, the Easton and Amos. It is still in the main engine house, built in 1861 to replace an earlier engine that had been carrying out the pumping work since 1831. Other exhibits include a Wills engine, Lancashire boiler, the original forge and a Lister diesel generating plant, to name just a few.

A large number of restored engines can be seen in action on Steaming Days. Dates for these are posted on the Events page. Volunteers work during the morning to get the boiler operating and generating enough steam power to run the exhibits, including the large...

A splendid museum of pumping and steam. Westonzoyland Pumping Station was in use until the 1950s to help drain the surrounding levels, until it was replaced by a diesel pump. The museum is chock-a-block full of steam engines of varying sizes and applications. The star of the show, however, is the huge pump in the pumping house, along with the former pumpkeeper's cottage next door.

There is a narrow gauge railway too, which on steaming days will take you from the car park to the main part of the site.

The guides and volunteers are very knowledgeable and friendly. Our guide, Andy, answered every question we threw at him (and we asked a LOT of questions!!) and he was thoroughly amiable throughout. So impressed were we with our visit, that we are hoping to become volunteers ourselves later in the year.

We really cant recommend this place highly enough, and would very much encourage you to visit if you're...

Our family had an amazing time at the Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum on a recent steam day. Seeing the steam pumps and engines in action was mesmerising, and the exhibits provided fascinating insights into the area's history and beyond. We found the volunteers to be extremely knowledgeable and engaging and it was incredible to see the dedication they've poured into restoring both the buildings and the exhibits.

During our visit we also enjoyed a ride on the narrow-gauge railway, the kids completed a fun yet surprisingly challenging eye-spy sheet, and we all indulged in several of the excellent homemade cakes available in the cafe. The fact that they're dog-friendly made it even better for our family. Definitely worthy of a...