Broomy Hill is on the outskirts of the City of Hereford, not far from the River Wye. We visited the Broomy Hill Waterworks Museum on the day of a Steampunk event, which was great fun. There was entertainment with live music, conjuring tricks and the obligatory teapot racing.
Visitors to the museum can see the UK’s widest range of working pumps and engines, some of which are the only working examples of their type. It is run entirely by volunteers, so although the place is open every Tuesday, it is really best to visit on an open day when all the pumps and engines are full steam ahead. It is definitely an important collection of industrial heritage.
On site, there is also a Heritage Water Park, where visitors can interact with full size devices that lift, pump, move and filter water. In the Rotherwas Building there is a permanent World War II exhibition telling the story of a minitions factory and bunker.
All parts of the site can be accessed by wheelchairs with dropped kerbs etc. There are toilets, a cafe, souvenirs and free car parking. On steam days, it costs £6 for seniors.
Right next to the Waterworks Museum is the Hereford Society of Model Engineers. Here you can have a ride on a little railway, which costs £1.50. They only take cash payments for the rides or in their cafe. This site is also run entirely via volunteers. The running days are on the second and last Sundays of the month. There is also a Ledbury 00 gauge railway, a Gauge 1 Garden Railway and a model boating pond.
So, the best thing to do before visiting is to check online to find out when both sites are in full steam. We visited as a couple, but I recommend taking the grandchildren for some educational fun.
