U3A Witham Photography Group
On the 1st May 2025, the Photography Group had an enjoyable and informative visit to the Museum of Power in Langham, near Maldon.
The museum is based on the site of Langford Pumping Station opened in 1927. It continued pumping treated water using steam engines until 1963, when electric pumps took over. It is designed to extract water from the Rivers Chelmer, Ter, and Blackwater. Two of the three engines and the boilers were scrapped in 1963, and the octagonal chimney was demolished.
The pump house buildings and the remaining engine were declared scheduled monuments in 1986 and also received engineering heritage listed status from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 2012 as a result of the return to steam.
The surviving engine, Marshall, and pump set has been preserved and restored to operating condition by the museum's volunteers in 2011. Museum research shows that 'Marshall' was the last triple-expansion engine and the only one of its kind in the UK still in its original location, with its original pump sets. When operating on steam, 'Marshall' could be unique worldwide, but this cannot be proved.
The Museum also houses a fascinating collection of working pumps, car engines, household electrical appliances and information about power generation,
The museum operates the Langford and Beeleigh Miniature Railway, which offers passenger rides around the site on which our group had a special ride and also the volunteers opened up the train shed and rolled out their collection of miniature trains for us to photograph. We also looked around Astaria, the only model village in Essex.
Click on the photos to see it full-size with more detail.
