Stretham Old Engine

A surviving nineteenth-century steam-powered drainage engine and pumping station demonstrating the technology that kept the Fens dry.

Stretham Old Engine preserves the technology once used to lift water from the fen into higher drainage channels. Its steam machinery and historic pumping station tell a practical story of how people tried to keep farmland usable in a low-lying landscape. Seeing the engine in its original setting makes the relationship between the building, the waterways and the fields much clearer. This is a particularly rewarding stop for anyone interested in industrial heritage or the engineering that changed the Fens. Check the volunteer-run site’s visiting dates in advance.