Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can celebrate this summer as three key heritage sites in the region scoop confirmed Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awards. Grade I and II listed Quarr Abbey, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, and Twyford Waterworks near Winchester, can now all move forward with exciting conservation and restoration works.
Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for South East England, said: "This investment is exciting news for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, as we see three important, yet very different, heritage sites celebrate news of HLF funding today.
"A rare 'time capsule' Edwardian waterworks, one of the 100 most endangered historic sites in the world, and one of the world's most important collections of historic railway rolling stock, will now offer exciting opportunities for people of all ages to get involved in the heritage on their doorstep while these special places are conserved and protected for future generations."
Here in Winchester & Chandler's Ford, £820,000 has been awarded to Return to Steam at Twyford Waterworks. Still commercially pumping 5 million gallons of water a day, Twyford Waterworks, which nestles in a rural chalk downland setting in the heart of Hampshire and within the South Downs National Park, is also a 'time capsule' of engineering, showcasing the complete history of water pumping through the eras.
From Edwardian steam, through to 1930s diesel, 1950s electricity and right up to today's modern technology, the historic site has been described by English Heritage as 'exceptional'. Containing nearly all its original equipment from the past 100 years including five large lime kilns, a water-powered narrow gauge incline railway, water-driven lime mixing equipment and the entire water softening process, most of the Waterworks is now managed by Twyford Waterworks Trust and is run and kept alive by a team of 40 passionate volunteers and nearly 200 Friends.
HLF funds will now mean that the huge towering historic steam boilers and pumping engine will be restored to enthral visitors and bring the site back to life and back into steam. There will be new interpretation for visitors, and a new workshop facility will also mean that vital skills can be passed on to a new generation of volunteers so that the waterworks – once an important employer in Twyford Village – can be brought back to the heart of the community.
Graham Feldwick, Twyford Waterworks Trust Chairman, said: "This is fantastic news for our Trust, and the HLF award will enable us to literally breathe new life into the Waterworks. Visitors will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the waterworks as it was in Edwardian times.
"Through our new 'Discovery Zone', which will have one of the boilers as a huge cutaway exhibit, and interpretation across the site, visitors will be able to gain a clear understanding of how drinking water has been produced from those early days through to the present day.
"This is good news too for our volunteers who will now have a new workshop and other facilities. If you are looking to give some time to volunteering then do consider Twyford Waterworks."
Steve Brine, MP for Winchester, said: "This is fantastic news, and I am really pleased for the team at Twyford Waterworks. I will never forget how this was one of my first ever engagements as the newly-elected MP back in 2010, and I pass on all my congratulations at this wonderful news."
Pictured; Twyford Waterworks nestles just south of Winchester
More information...
Twyford Waterworks Trust was set up in 1992 'to preserve and maintain the former Twyford Waterworks for the education and benefit of the public generally, and to promote the preservation and display of all things and matters associated with the abstraction, treatment, distribution and consumption of water.' For more information see: http://www.twyfordwaterworks.co.uk