Who We Are - Kempton Steam Museum

Who We Are - Kempton Steam Museum
Who we are
Kempton Steam Museum
is an independent museum in London governed by the
Kempton Great Engines Trust
. The Trust, a registered Charity, was formed in 1995 with the aim to preserve the historic steam pumping engines at Kempton Park Pumping Station and make them accessible to the public. All restoration work and the running of the museum is undertaken entirely by a team of volunteers.
Our activities have been made possible through Thames Water giving us access under a 99 year lease. The Trust is a registered Charity (No. 1048936), and the museum building a Scheduled Monument (No. 153).
What we do
Restoration and day-to-day operation of the museum is undertaken by volunteers. Since 1995, our incredible volunteers have successfully returned the ‘Sir William Prescott’ triple-expansion engine to steam and showcase it to the public on steaming weekends throughout the year.
Recent achievements include the motorisation of one of our two steam turbines to demonstrate the inner mechanisms. Working parties continue to perform restoration projects to ensure the museum’s unique collection is safe for future generations to enjoy.
The museum is open from March to December offering special events throughout the year.
Our vision
To be the “must visit” international destination celebrating Britain’s industrial heritage and highlighting the importance of conserving and sustaining clean water supplies now and for the future.
Our mission
To tell the story of the Kempton Park site and its vital role in providing clean, safe water to large areas of London continuously for over 100 years; and
To provide a unique opportunity to view working examples of the pinnacle of traditional steam engine development and the transition to turbine technology
Museum expansion project
The
Kempton Great Engines Trust
is currently embarking on an ambitious project to significantly expand the museum into the old boiler house.
Follow this link to learn more about the project
Museum Expansion Project.
People
Meet the members of the
Kempton Great Engines Trust
:
Richard Albanese
Chairman & Trustee
Richard has been both volunteer and employee at the
London Museum of Water & Steam
for over 40 years.
With interests in
maritime, industrial, social history and archaeology
he has employment
experience
of
conservation, maintenance and operation of heritage machinery, engines and related structures within museum
, marine
and private settings.
As a curator and designer he has developed
exhibitions and interactive exhibits
for
museums and science centres
to engage, inform and enthuse a wide range of
visitors,
which
he
passionately believe
s
is essential
for allowing our
industrial
and maritime
heritage
t
o survive
and prosper.
He became Chairman in August 2025.
Valerie Mills
Trustee & Company Secretary
Until she retired in early 2023, Valerie was Director of
Amberley Museum
in West Sussex – an open-air industrial and heritage museum in former chalk pits. Collections include a narrow-gauge railway, Southdown buses, radio and telecommunications. Before Amberley she was Commercial Director at
Brooklands Museum
and was part of the team that delivered the
Brooklands Aircraft Factory Project
, which moved a listed WW2 hangar and redisplayed much of the aviation collection to tell the story of the almost 19,000 aircraft built at
Brooklands
.
Having always been interested in industrial archaeology, she was delighted to become Company Secretary and Trustee in February 2024.
Abdullah Seba
Trustee
Abdullah has been a volunteering at various steam museums for over 11 years and is currently a Trustee at
Crossness Pumping Station
and Chief Executive at
Heritage and Communities Trust
.
He has a wide range of interests including engineering and history.
Martin Wicks
Trustee
Martin studied physics at university and spent his career at the
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
in Teddington, where he worked on numerous projects including research into fibre optic transmission.
Martin sits on the
British Standards Institute
‘s committee for fibre optic communications and is the former chair of the
NPL Sports & Leisure Club
. Martin has been a volunteer at
Kempton Steam Museum
since 2016 and is involved in most aspects of the museum’s operation. He is currently the Chair of Operations.
Matt Guenigault
Trustee
Matt has been volunteering with the
Kempton Steam Museum
since February 2024, after being captivated during his first visit and tour in November 2023. Matt has over 15 years experience in marketing and communications for globally renowned, heritage brands such as the
BBC
and the
LEGO Group
, where he currently heads up a social media team across Europe and Asia.
He is passionate about giving audiences and visitors memorable experiences, and leads our Marketing & Communications.
Stephen Fielding
Trustee
Stephen has volunteered at Kempton since 2008 and is actively involved with restoration projects, organising events, guided tours and engine operation. Stephen is the former Chair of the
Kempton Great Engines Society
and chairs our Conservation Committee.
He has a life long passion for steam engines, engineering and history, having studied electrical & mechanical engineering at college and modern history at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Stephen’s day job is Heritage Projects Manager for
Habitats & Heritage
in Twickenham.
Stephen Hewes
Trustee & Treasurer
Stephen is a Chartered Accountant who has recently retired having spent most of his career working in the insurance sector after qualifying with
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
.
Stephen has a keen interest in preserving our industrial heritage and first visited the museum many years ago with the
Jaguar Drivers Club
.