We’ll be running our two beam engines into the twilight with lower than normal lighting in our engine house. This will give an impression of Crofton in the Georgian era when it first operated.

Star gazing: Crofton is located in a ‘dark skies’ area so to help us celebrate our evening steaming, towards the end of the evening when it is fully dark, local astronomers from the Newbury Astronomy Society will have their telescopes set up for visitors to marvel at the heavens (weather permitting!). Richard Fleet of the Society will give two presentations during the evening entitled “The Milky Way and our Place in the Galaxy”, first lecture at 7.00pm and the second at 8pm, so you will have plenty of opportunity to see our engines working and to take in the talk. Once it is dark there will be plenty of opportunity to view the night sky through the telescopes of members of the society. Please dress warmly and do bring binoculars.

We’ll have refreshments available from our Pop-Up tea tent and we’ve invited the excellent fresh Pizza makers ‘Pizza Lola’ to site so visitors will be able to go home with both minds and stomachs filled.