Prickwillow Museum facts for kids
The front of Prickwillow Museum by the River Lark
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Prickwillow, Cambridgeshire, UK |
|---|---|
| Type | Technology museum |
The Prickwillow Museum is a special place that tells the story of the Fens. This area of England used to be very wet. The museum shows how people used amazing machines to drain the land.
It is located in an old pumping station in Prickwillow. This village is about four miles (6.4 km) east of the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire.
The museum has many huge diesel engines. These engines were used to pump water away from the land. The best part is that all these engines have been fixed and can still work!
The Prickwillow Museum is looked after by the Prickwillow Engine Trust. This group is a charity. They get help from places like the Heritage Lottery Fund to keep the museum running.
Contents
What You'll See at the Museum
The museum is inside an old building that was once a pumping station. Pumping stations are buildings with powerful machines. These machines move water from one place to another. In the Fens, they were vital for keeping the land dry enough to farm and live on.
Giant Engines and How They Work
The main attractions are the large diesel engines. These engines are like giant motors. They powered huge pumps that lifted water out of the drainage ditches. This water was then sent into bigger rivers.
These engines are very old but have been carefully restored. This means they can still be started up and seen in action on special days. It's amazing to see how powerful they are!
The Story of the Fens
The museum also explains the history of the Fens. This area was once a huge wetland. Over hundreds of years, people worked hard to drain it. They built ditches, canals, and used windmills and later, these powerful engines.
Draining the Fens created rich farmland. This helped feed many people. The museum shows how this changed the landscape and the lives of the people who lived there.
Events at Prickwillow Museum
Every year, the museum hosts a special event. In early autumn, they have the Prickwillow ploughing festival. This festival celebrates farming and the history of working the land. It's a fun way to see old farming machines and learn about how food was grown.
Other Places to Explore
If you enjoyed learning about the Prickwillow Museum, you might like these other places too. They also show how people managed water and used engines in the past:
