CROFTON Beam Engines is steaming into action this May Bank Holiday, operating from 10.30am to 4.30pm on May 5 and 6.

Visitors can watch the 200-year-old engines as they transfer water from Wilton Water into the Kennet and Avon Canal. These machines include the Number One Engine, installed the same year Napoleon retreated from Moscow, 1812.

Fun activities such as duck races in the stream are planned, with prizes for both the swiftest and most leisurely ducks.

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Children can get involved in a clue hunt with a springtime trail throughout the grounds, with every successful sleuth getting a prize.

Guests can visit Crofton by road or via the canal. There is also a pay car park or the option to walk or cycle along the canal towpath and join via the canal tunnel.

For more information, guests can email: Crofton@katrust.co.uk