Old Brook Pumping Station

The Old Brook Pumping Station is a Victorian-era pumping facility in Chatham designed to manage water flow and handle stormwater overflow. It contains two diesel engines and several electrically powered pumps that once worked together to control the town's water systems.

The pumping station was built in 1929 as part of an effort to improve the town's drainage system and operated for about 50 years. After 1980 it stopped working and became a museum dedicated to industrial heritage from that era.

The station stands near where Charles Dickens lived during the 1820s and observed the town's early struggles with water management. This location connects to Dickens' understanding of how communities depended on proper drainage systems for daily life.

Access is mainly during the warmer months from June through September on weekends, with additional opening dates during the cooler half of the year. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and be ready for stairs and tight spaces inside the machinery areas.

Inside the building sits a preserved Victorian printing press that once produced the Rochester Gazette newspaper. Alongside it stands an Aveling and Porter road roller, a heavy vehicle used for construction work in earlier times.