The Waterworks Museum

The Waterworks Museum in Hereford has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in The Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The Waterworks Museum at Broomy Hill in Hereford has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS). This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

The Waterworks Museum was opened in 1974. The museum is one of Herefordshire’s leading visitor attractions. It is wholly run by volunteers. It is, ‘A working museum which makes the story of drinking water spring to life.’

Based in a Grade II* listed building, the Museum is home to the UK’s oldest in-situ working triple-expansion steam engine and it has one of the widest ranges of working pumping engines in the UK. This includes exhibits in The Tangye House, Leominster’s Victorian pumping station and the Rotherwas Engine House, displaying a permanent exhibition of artefacts saved from dereliction from a World War II bunker. The collection is interpreted by a combination of displays, historic artefacts and ephemera related to potable water.

Visitors to the Waterworks Museum can see historic beam, steam, gas, oil, diesel and combustion engines, many of which are among the last working example of their kind. The collection primarily relates to drinking water supply in Herefordshire, the Marches and Wales, but also includes items from other parts of the UK. In addition, building on its collection of hot-air engines, the Waterworks Museum has gained a reputation as a repository and centre of knowledge for the operation of machines that provided power for municipal schemes before internal combustion engines. This collection is considered one of the best in the UK. There is also a unique Heritage Water Park with full size working interactive artefacts.

The Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire, Mr. Edward Harley OBE said “The Waterworks Museum provides a wonderful visitor attraction for Hereford which gives pleasure to a wide range of people including visitors from far afield, Herefordshire residents and their children, enthusiasts and, volunteers. The museum preserves and restores important elements of our local and national heritage. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to all involved in volunteering for this superb organisation. The award is well deserved recognition for the enormous amount of energy and time that all the volunteers give to this excellent museum.”

“To receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service after such a very busy and challenging few months for the directors and volunteers is wonderful” said Jill Phillips, The Museum Chair of Trustees. She comments “the vision, drive and determination of the founder members and volunteers has continued through the years and the absolute strength of the museum is the passion and capabilities of those involved. The museum is a very special place to be a volunteer at”.

The Waterworks Museum volunteers will receive the Award Crystal and certificate from Mr Edward Harley OBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire in the early Autumn. In addition, two volunteers from the organisation will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2023, along with other recipients of this year’s Award. The museum is one of 244 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation.

For information about the Waterworks Museum visit www.waterworksmuseum.org.uk.