Boulton and Watt

Boulton and Watt

B6 4AS), on the A38(M) in Birmingham, UK.It was built in 1817 and used in Netherton at the ironworks of M W Grazebrook] The firm of Boulton & Watt was initially a partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt.

The Engine Partnership

The partnership was formed in 1775 to exploit Watt's patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser. This made much more efficient use of its fuel than the older Newcomen engine. Initially the business was based at the Soho Manufactory near Boulton's Soho House on the southern edge of the then-rural parish of Handsworth. However most of the components for their engines were made by others, for example the cylinders by John Wilkinson.

In 1795, they began to make steam engines themselves at their Soho Foundry in Smethwick, near Birmingham, England. The partnership was passed to two of their sons in 1800. The firm lasted over 120 years, and was still making steam engines in 1895.

Other Businesses

urviving Watt Engines

The oldest working engine in the world is their Smethwick Engine. Another working Boulton and Watt beam engine, dating from 1812, can be found at Crofton Pumping Station. The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, houses the world's oldest working rotary steam engine, built by Boulton and Watt in 1785 to grind malt in Whitbread's London brewery.

Archive

The firm left an extremely detailed archive of its activities, which was given to the city of Birmingham in 1911 and is kept at Birmingham Central Library. The library has since obtained various other related archives.

ee also

*Steam engine
*Watt steam engine
*Matthew Boulton
*James Watt
*William Murdoch

Further reading

*R. L. Hills, "James Watt" (3 volumes, Landmark, Ashbourne, 2002-6).

External links

* [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=23849&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=10468 Archives of Soho] at Birmingham Central Library.
* [http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=7177 The Powerhouse Museum's Boulton and Watt engine]
* [http://www.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/home.stm Revolutionary Players website]
* [http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=Overview.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo='ad1583') Cornwall Record Office Boulton & Watt letters]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Watt steam engine — The Watt steam engine was the first type of steam engine to make use of steam at a pressure just above atmospheric to drive the piston helped by a partial vacuum. Improving on the design of the 1712 Newcomen engine, the Watt steam engine,… …   Wikipedia

  • Boulton — The name Boulton can refer to: * Boulton and Watt Partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt * Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd Aircraft manufacturer. Some of its planes include: **Boulton Paul Sidestrand **Boulton Paul Defiant **Boulton Paul… …   Wikipedia

  • Watt (surname) — As a surname, Watt may refer to:*Watt of Sussex, Anglo Saxon king *Adam Watt, Australian boxer *Alexander Watt, British plant ecologist *Ben Watt, British musician and music producer *Davey Watt, Australian speedway rider *David Watt, British… …   Wikipedia

  • Watt — This very English surname is from one of the most popular medieval given names, Watt , a short form of the name Walter . The latter was introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066, in the form Watt(i)er , or Waut(i)er , and… …   Surnames reference

  • Boulton's Siding — was a British locomotive hire business owned by Isaac Watt Boulton and situated alongside the Oldham branch of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Ashton Under Lyne. It operated from 1864 to 1898.OverviewIn the 1860s,… …   Wikipedia

  • And did those feet in ancient time — is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem, one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun, but the poem was… …   Wikipedia

  • Boulton, Matthew — born Sept. 3, 1728, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Eng. died Aug. 17, 1809, Birmingham British manufacturer and engineer. With James Watt and William Murdock (1754–1839), he established the steam engine industry by installing pumping engines to drain… …   Universalium

  • WATT, JAMES —    inventor of the modern steam engine, born in Greenock, son of a merchant; began life as a mathematical instrument maker, opened business in Glasgow under university patronage, and early began to experiment on the mechanical capabilities of… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Boulton, Watt and Murdoch — The gilded bronze statue of Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch by William Bloye stands on a plinth of Portland stone, outside the old Register Office on Broad Street in Birmingham, England.It is known locally as The Golden Boys after …   Wikipedia

  • Matthew Boulton — 1792 portrait of Matthew Boulton Born 3 September 1728(1728 09 03) Birmingham, England …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”