The London Museum of Water & Steam at Brentford in West London has launched an appeal to restore its Grade 1 listed Great Engine House.

Brentford water pumping station opened in 1838 and supplied clean water to the homes of millions of Londoners between 1838 and 1944.

It is now a museum and contains a collection of stationary steam engines.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has described the pumping station as “the most important historic site of the water supply industry in Britain”.

The Great Engine House Project aims to restore the Great Engine House, which is home to gigantic Grand Junction 100-inch and 90-inch engines.

It is at an advanced stage of receiving a grant of of £2.8 million to fund the entire project, but a percentage of the grant must be raised by crowdfunding £50,000 by mid-August.

Anyone wishing to donate to the project can do so here.

About £17,000 has already been raised through the crowdfunding, but it is a small museum and has limited resources, and is struggling to raise its target by the grant deadline.

A recent survey of the Engine House showed it has a leaking roof structure, dry rot, blown and spalling render, corroded window frames, cracked glass, collapsed storm drains, and loose plaster and paint.

Both engines are actively corroding and contain encapsulated asbestos lagging. They are part of Britain’s industrial history, and it is clear that unless work starts within the next two years to stop their decay, these historically significant machines could be lost, and central parts of the museum building will need to be be closed off.

Through this project, the museum hopes that by returning the 90-inch engine to steam, it will become more financially resilient and greatly improve the museum’s visitor experience. Work to be carried out will include:

• Make the building watertight.
• Reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants.
• Remove damage caused during past repairs.
• Conserve the engines and improve their environmental conditions.
• Improve their accessibility.
• Remove materials containing asbestos.

Describing the Grand Junction 100-inch and 90-inch engines as gigantic is not an understatement, as they are both three storeys high. They are powerful enough to supply water from Brentford to areas of London as far as Notting Hill and Kensington, and to the upper floors of buildings.

The 90-inch beam engine was installed in 1846 and ran daily for over 100 years, and is one of the largest working engines of its type in the world. The 100-inch beam engine was kept as a standby until 1954.

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular way of raising funds, and has recently been used by a group trying to preserve a Class 507 electric multiple unit, and to raise funds for a new dragbox for Great Western Railway saddle tank No. 813.