The British Engineerium

By Marion Bance

The British Engineerium - described by Brighton historian, Clifford Musgrave, as an “unusually fine asset” for Brighton and Hove

The British Engineerium in The Droveway, Hove, has, it might be fair to say, a bit of a chequered history. Its past has been marked by both great success and periods of uncertainty and decline, but today things are once again on the up. It is now home to not only a fabulous engineering and steam power museum, but a growing variety of 21st century skills and crafts; from art and makers’ fairs, to yoga, dance and sound baths. Luke Johnson, the current owner, is set to breathe new life into this site, making it an interactive community space, but at the same time ensuring its place within the history of Brighton and Hove is preserved.

 And they are so right to do this. English Heritage has listed the complex for its architectural and historical importance, giving its structures five separate listings. It is, as described by Brighton historian Ken Fines, “a splendid example of Victorian industrial engineering” and it demonstrates perfectly the way Victorians thought about investment in public infrastructure and how, for them, ‘utility’ certainly did not equal ‘dullness’!   This masterclass in 19th century ‘civic pride’ came into being when local authorities accepted that action was needed to provide a reliable water supply for the rapidly growing population of Brighton and Hove. Up to this point, the Brighton, Hove and Preston Waterworks Company – the first local water company, founded 1834 – provided an intermittent water supply from their Lewes Road works to a few wealthy households, but in general water had been sourced from wells. Neither provided a viable way forward, especially as the wells were becoming increasingly contaminated by sewage seeping in from cesspits.

To eliminate this serious health risk and meet the demands of a continually expanding population, new water works were needed. After consultation with eminent civil engineer, Thomas Hawksley, a site was chosen above a naturally fissured chalk hollow at Goldstone Bottom, south end of West Blatchington village.

The Brighton, Hove and Preston Constant Water Service Company started work on the 3.5 acre site in 1866, and the facility opened that same year with the name Goldstone Pumping Station. The complex consisted of a boiler house and adjacent engine room, coal cellars and a 95-foot chimney described as “truly monumental”, all built of polychrome bricks with intricate decorative details.

In 1872, ownership of Goldstone Pumping Station and all other water facilities in the Brighton area passed to Brighton Corporation. The Corporation found that demand for water was continuing to rise so, in 1876, they undertook a major expansion of the pumping station. A second engine room was added, together with a separate coal storage shed and workshop facilities. The Mayor of Brighton, Henry Abbey, fired up “Number 2 Engine” for the first time on 26 October 1876.

But as new sources of water were found elsewhere and more modern equipment installed to exploit them, the Goldstone Pumping Station’s importance declined. It ceased to be fully operational in the late 1940s and closed in 1952 when steam power was replaced. In 1971 the Corporation built a small electric pump house on the site (which remains today) and went as far as to threaten demolition of the 19th-century buildings, along with all the steam-era machinery.

Thankfully, an industrial archaeologist and steam engineering expert, Jonathan Minns, stepped forward. He acquired the lease of the site from the Southern Water Authority in 1974 and set about restoring it from its derelict state. The Brighton and Hove Engineerium (changed to The British Engineerium in 1981) was officially opened in October 1976, exactly 100 years after Number 2 Engine had first fired up.

Minns worked with a team of full-time staff and volunteers to establish an industrial steam power museum where the boilers and Number 2 Engine were fired up every weekend and approximately 1,500 exhibits were on display. His plans for an educational centre were equally successful and it soon earned a reputation as, “the world’s only centre for the teaching of engineering conservation”.

Unfortunately, despite these successes and the charitable trust set up to run it, securing financial support for the Engineerium was a persistent concern. To raise funds to help run the museum, the team travelled nationally and internationally, sharing their knowledge, helping to establish museums, complete restoration projects and train young people in engineering heritage conservation.

Peter Fagg, who is the Chief Engineer at The British Engineerium today, was a member of this team in the 1980s and remembers it as a happy time when all sorts of exciting jobs were undertaken, including new caps and sails for the Patcham windmill. Asked to name his favourite projects Peter said the restoration of a horse drawn tram for London Transport Museum and the making of a bronze waterwheel sculpture, designed by Jonathan Minns, and sent to Singapore.

Ongoing funding problems eventually caused the Engineerium to close in 2006 and the buildings and contents were put up for auction, but, once again, an enthusiast came to the rescue. Just before the auctioneer’s hammer came down, Brighton property developer Michael Holland offered £2 million for the buildings and more than £1 million for the contents.

Under Holland’s ownership, large sums of money were invested in the site and considerable renovation and remodelling work undertaken. The Engineerium did not really open again until 2012 and then only for a few private events, but those lucky enough to receive an invitation had the opportunity to see a large collection of exhibits relating to the history of engineering and steam power. Then a series of unfortunate events occurred; in 2015, an arson attack damaged the campanile-style chimney; two years later Holland was jailed following a health and safety related accident at Stanmer Park Stables - one of his other development sites; and in early 2018 it was announced that the Engineerium was up for sale.

Luke Johnson, chairman of the Brighton Pier Group, bought the complex in 2022 with the aim of bringing the buildings back into use and placing the “organisation on a more financially viable footing to better secure the Engineerium’s long-term preservation”.

The British Engineerium opened again in September 2024 and Emily Pickering, Venue and Events Manager, is brimming with ideas for how to take this, now fabulously maintained, landmark site forward. Have a look at thebritishengineerium.com to see what is going on.

All images are courtesy of Emily Pickering, The British Engineerium.