The Engine House

Now home to the Brunel museum the engine house used to house the steam engines that drove the pumps to keep the Thames Tunnel dry. Until the tunnel refurbishment of the 1990s significant amounts of water had to be pumped away.

Originally this was done by a flat V steam engine located in the engine house. With the introduction of electric pumps the engine house became surplus and the building slowly decayed until it was rescued by the Brunel Museum. Since then much work has been carried out on the fabric of the building including re-roofing and refurbishment of the chimney.

The museum is now situated on three fully accessible levels within the building. The most recent addition is a small conservatory at the north end housing a cafe selling home made cake.

Illuminated display panels on the first floor

Cross section model of the shaft and shield