A historic railway which linked the Thames at Hampton with Kempton Waterworks has been granted a £25,000 grant to build a new shed to protect its trains and coaches.

The proposed coach shed at Hampton Kempton Waterworks Railway would provide housing for a 1903 locomotive train as well as valuable space to allow for maintenance.

The project comes as part of a £1.8 million funding scheme to restore the original industrial railway that ran from the Thames at Hampton to Kempton Waterworks pumping stations that played such a vital part in supplying clean drinking water to London in the early 20th century.

Michael Hamilton, Chairman of HKWR said: “We are delighted that Heathrow Community Trust (HCT) has granted this award which will make such a difference to our volunteers in maintaining and restoring our unique collection of heritage railway equipment.

"Being undercover will also enable more volunteers to be trained in heritage railway preservation and allow for future visits of the public and schools to see our restoration plans in action.”

Dr Rebecca Bowden, director of HCT also commented: “We are delighted to support this project through our Communities Together grant programme and we very much hope it will enable many more people from the local area, and further afield to visit and see this hidden gem, which exists thanks to the hard work of so many volunteers.

"We look forward to seeing the finished construction!"