Crossness Pumping Station is somewhere I’ve wanted to go for years. The magnificent Kew may have a more central location, glossy website and some giant engines, but Crossness is a marvelous mixture of wrought iron, rust and symmetry that is incomparable.

I was really blown away by the place. I trained as an engineer, I’m fascinated by history and love art and design so this place appealed to me on every possible level and could have spent all day there if we’d had time. If it wasn’t for the fact that I live 250 miles away I’d visit again!

I think this is a variation of the MBW (Metropolitan Board of Works) monogram that is seen at various locations around the works.

The unrestored end of the works.The floor here is mostly stone flags, but note the cast iron lattice floor by the flywheels and on the floor above  – more of that next week.

Sun shining through the cast iron floor and casting shadows on one of the cylinders.

One of the four 27 feet, 52 ton flywheels,

More ornamentation. I love the Victorians way of beautifully (some would say needless?) ornamentation in places that few saw, but was put there to show the pride they had in their engineering and architecture. The sewerage system and pumping station, unglamourous today, were a major step forward and a huge accomplishment and it was only right that that this was celebrated.