At the heart of Twyford Waterworks is the Boiler House with its unique set of three Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers. The Trust was able to steam one of these from 1996 to 2003. At that time, in response to the Asbestos Act 2002, a full survey of the boilers by external consultants revealed an unacceptable amount of asbestos within the brick firebox structures and as a safety measure the boiler house was sealed until all asbestos could be removed.

The asbestos removal was carried out during the winter of 2006/7. This was an expensive operation costing around £200,000 to complete which our landlords, Southern Water, directed and paid for. Although leaving the boiler metalwork intact all the brick fireboxes had to be removed, and these will need to be replaced together with a full restoration of the entire steam plant. The boilers are currently supported by a large amount of scaffolding until this work can start.

Twyford Waterworks Trust is now looking to bring Twyford Waterworks alive once more through the return to steam of one of the boilers, the restoration of the Boiler House to its original condition and the demonstration of the operation of the Hathorn Davey steam pumping engine, together with all steam driven ancillary plant including the generation of electricity by steam, thereby providing a working interpretation of the then new technology available for water pumping in the Edwardian era and linking this to working and social conditions of that time to provide educational opportunities for children and adults. This will enable the Trust to meet its aims “to preserve and maintain the former Twyford Waterworks for the education and benefit of the public generally, and to promote the preservation and display of all things and matters associated with the abstraction, treatment, distribution and consumption of water”.

As part of this project the Trust also plans to:

- utilise the Boiler House as an educational resource by sectioning another boiler to demonstrate how it works and creating a unique classroom / education experience surrounded by all the original equipment

- show how clean water provision was met for the large towns in the area, to illustrate the use of chalk downland as a water reservoir and highlight the problems associated with this, especially the hard water aspect.

- show the effect Twyford Waterworks had on the local area and the work it created. To illustrate this additionally with interpretative boards, recorded memories and historical photographs.

- to provide a new workshop facility for maintenance, training and teaching.

The full cost of this project is likely to be in excess of £700,000 and the Trust has recently applied to Heritage Lottery Funding for a grant to carry out this work. It has also started a fundraising appeal and if you want to see the Waterworks back in steam we would ask you please to consider making a donation.