Kempton Park Reservoirs

Kempton Park Reservoirs lie on the edge of London in the Borough of Hounslow and just inside Surrey. The site belongs to Thames Water and forms part of a larger Ramsar wetland and Special Protection Area. Two of the reservoirs, Kempton Park East and West, were finished in 1907 after the New River Company began work in 1897. A smaller Red House Reservoir was added later, fed by an aqueduct from Staines. Kempton Park East is now managed as a local nature reserve with limited access. The pumping station opened in 1929 and housed two giant triple-expansion steam engines built by Worthington-Simpson. These engines were among the largest of their kind in the world and ran until 1980. They now form the core of the Kempton Park Steam Engines museum. Kempton Park West Reservoir has been emptied, while Kempton Park East still holds some water and supports wetland wildlife. Visitors can walk around Kempton Park East Reservoir to watch wading birds such as lapwing, redshank and avocet. The reserve has refuge islands, deep water channels and reed beds designed for birds. Red House Reservoir remains in use and is surrounded by woodland where bats, water voles and amphibians live. The site offers quiet views over open water and sheltered woodland paths.