Steampunk Spooktacular
See our Victorian beam engine, with a Halloween steampunk twist.
Why come?
Crossness Pumping Station opens for a Halloween weekend of steam and steampunk. The massive Victorian beam engine, Prince Consort, runs under steam in the Beam Engine House. The ornate cast-iron Octagon is open to explore. You can catch the free vintage bus from Abbey Wood Station and back.
And then our friends at Great Kentspectations Steampunk Society will bring characters, games, talks and family activities. Want to join in? Costumes are welcome (but not obligatory!).
Our Ness Café is open for food and refreshments, (adult) drinks will be at the Bexley Brewery bar. We’ll have our Great Stink Exhibition and toilet displays to explore, small engines to see, films about the site, our popular system model demonstration will be running and there will be several family activities to join in with. Then on top of this the SPOOKTACULAR extras will provide hours of entertainment and new things to discover.
Want cuddly toy fun? Try Familiar flinging! Interested in stories about the 19th century world? Well, we have dark Victorian tales and Sewers to the Future! There will be Lovecraftian horror with magic lanterns, tea duelling (why not!), Morris dancing (Sunday only) and lots of makers’ stalls.
On the day
- Prince Consort running under steam
- Steampunk costumes, characters and activities with Great Kentspectations
- Tea duelling: competitive biscuit dunking
- Familiar slinging: bring a cuddly familiar and see how far it can fly
- Children’s scavenger hunt and Halloween activities
- Talks and demonstrations
- Steampunk, craft and curiosity stalls
- Free vintage bus from Abbey Wood Station
- Films about Crossness
- Ness Café and Bexley Brewery bar
Getting Here
Catch the free vintage shuttle bus from Abbey Wood Station. Open a tab below to see the best way of getting to us.
Abbey Wood Station is the closest station (Elizabeth Line, Southeastern and Thameslink).
- Take the free vintage bus from the station. Times are here.
- If you prefer to walk from the station, see information here.
The bus to use is our free vintage service from Abbey Wood Station.
From Abbey Wood Station: 9:45am, then every 30 minutes until 2:45pm
From Crossness: 11:30am, then every 30 minutes until 4:30pm
Park in the visitor car park on Bazalgette Way, then walk in through the pedestrian entrance. Taxis can use What3words charmingly.cure.tone (opens in a new tab).
- This is the car park for this event. Walk in through the pedestrian entrance.
Walking from Abbey Wood Station takes about 40–45 minutes.
We are within cycling distance of Woolwich, with Uber Boat, DLR and Elizabeth Line connections. The Thames Path is a pleasant ride along the river.
There is secure cycle parking on site, by the large pond next to the Thames Path.
- The Thames Path Gate (opens in a new tab) is open for this event.
- You can also follow the pedestrian way in from Abbey Wood Station or the visitor car park.
Blue Badge bays sit beside the pedestrian gate in the visitor car park on Bazalgette Way. From there, a handrail path leads towards the railway when it is running.
If you need to park beside the museum, email us when you book at [email protected]. Tell us about access needs so we can plan the best route with you.
