The steam engine which inspired the founding of the Waterworks Museum in Hereford over 40 years ago was presented with an Engineering Heritage Award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers at a ceremony at the Museum on Monday, May 7th.

The Worth Mackenzie triple-expansion steam engine is the beating heart of the Waterworks Museum. Standing two storeys high, it was installed in 1895 to provide Hereford with a reliable supply of drinking water. Pumping one million gallons every twelve hours the engine stayed in service through the Second World War and finally ceased operation in the 1950s. Restored to working condition by the original volunteer engineers of the Waterworks Museum in the 1970s, the engine remains the oldest working triple-expansion steam engine in Britain.

This has been recognised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) which has granted the Museum its prestigious Engineering Heritage Award as recognition of the part played by the engine over many years.

See the full story in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here