Championing the history of Kingswood

William Champion

Find out who William Champion was - and how he made a fortune from his brass making factory then lost it all

Location

Museum

Era

Tudor & Stewart

Availability

During museum hours

Who was William Champion? Find out how he made a fortune from his brass making factory then lost it all. See a model of his revolutionary process for production of zinc from calamine ore.

“Champion’s works at Warmley made the first commercial zinc in Europe.”

More attractions & exhibits at Kingswood History Museum

Test attraction for testing

This is a teaser preview of the test attraction

The Clocktower Building

One of the earliest pin factories in the country

Warmley House

A Palladian style house once home to William Champion

The Summer House

A unique castellated structure and home built over Siston Brook

Tudor & Stewart

Statue of Neptune

Nine metre high cement statue of the king of the sea, known locally as the ‘Warmley giant’

Tudor & Stewart

The Elm Walk

A notable pathway that takes you from the lawns to the Summer House

The Lake

See what is left of this important feature in William Champion’s brass and copper works

Tudor & Stewart

Echo Pond

A semi-circular pond fed by water from the Leat

The Boat House

Discover the lakeside building, thought to have housed boats

The Grottoes

A mysterious collection of vaulted chambers, one of the most extensive in England

The Chequered Wall

A garden wall made in an attractive pattern from brick and black slag blocks

The Mound

An example of an 18th Century mound, which were popular in gardens at the time

The Rank or Row

A detailed model of houses built by William Champion for some of his workers

Tudor & Stewart

The Ice House

One of the largest examples of an ice house in the country

Tudor & Stewart

The Windmill Tower

The tallest, oldest and most complete industrial ore-crushing windmill tower in the country

Visit the hidden historical gem of Kingswood & South Gloucestershire

Join us for a family day out, get lost in a grotto, and discover some of the local legends of Kingswood.