BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Newcomen.com - ECPv6.16.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.newcomen.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Newcomen.com REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20210328T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20211031T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20220327T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20221030T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20230326T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20231029T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20240331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20241027T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231004T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231004T210000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20230914T103045Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231004T130957Z UID:12708-1696446000-1696453200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'John Snow And The Fight Against Cholera' by David Moore DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page \nThis is a joint meeting with Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum \nDavid Moore describes how John Snow identified the source of a cholera outbreak in London and showed it to be a water-borne disease. \nAbout the Speaker\nDavid Moore has given several talks to Newcomen Midlands in the last few years. He has been heavily involved with the trust that has rescued and preserved the Sandfields steam pumping engine at Lichfield\, Staffordshire. \nSign Up For This Event Here URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/john-snow-and-the-fight-against-cholera-by-david-moore/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/23-10-04_JohnSnowAndTheFightAgainstCholera_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230925T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230925T203000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20230916T111930Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230916T111930Z UID:12715-1695666600-1695673800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The River Don Engine' by Greg Harris DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. Sign up link coming soon. \nBuilt by Davy Brothers in 1904 to drive the armour plate rolling mill at Charles Cammell's Grimesthorpe works\, the River Don engine is the last surviving example of four 12\,000 hp (8.9 MW) rapid reversing engines constructed to the same design. \nThe talk will explore the history of the engine through stories and facts\, including photographs\, working drawings\, and a 3D computer model. These show the engine and rolling mill at work at Cammell Lairds from 1913 and subsequently at River Don in the 1950s\, 60s\, and 70s. The engine's move to and restoration at Kelham Island in 1978 and again after the 2018 flood will be described and the development of the 3D virtual model of the engine created for the museum by the speaker will be outlined. \nAbout the Speaker\nIn 1989 Greg attended Parkwood Art College in Sheffield to study Art and Design. He obtained an NVQ in Auto Cad and then achieved his H.N.D at Norton College. Out of the blue he received a phone call from a small games company in Sheffield offering him a job. He really enjoyed the work and found like-minded people to work with. He also got the chance to work with game pioneers and learnt to use 3Ds Max which helped him to produce the virtual model for Kelham Island Museum of the River Don Engine which he will discuss. \nAfter finishing off working with games in 2012\, Greg became a self-employed artist and went on to produce a large range of illustrations depicting Sheffield past and present which is on sale in local galleries & museums throughout Sheffield. He also designed the mural for the Special Olympics held in Sheffield 2017 which was displayed on Pond Street and was invited onto Radio Sheffield to talk about creating the mural. Greg also sculpts\, as well as volunteering at Kelham and the Lowedges Community Centre\, supporting the craft group. \nSign Up For This Event Here (pending) URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-river-don-engine-by-greg-harris/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum\, Alma Street\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S3 8RG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/23-09-25_TheRiverDonEngine_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230510T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230510T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20221113T113850Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230504T100714Z UID:10800-1683741600-1683748800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Refugees from Nazism in the British Clothing Industry' by Anna Nyburg PhD DESCRIPTION:This is a repeat of a highly popular presentation put on at Manchester’s Anthony Burgess Foundation in February \nThis event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nThe Lecture will describe the influence of European Immigration\, under the rise of Nazism\, on the Clothing Industry. \nBased on her book The Clothes on our Backs: How Refugees from Nazism revitalised the British Fashion Industry\, in which she considers the trade in pre-war Germany and in particular\, the more modern approach there compared to Britain. The expulsion of Jews and pathways into Britain follows\, and then the wartime production changes. Individual case studies then show the refugees’ wide range of experiences in this country\, but also their contribution to all aspects of the industry from manufacture to display. \nAbout the Presenter\nAnna Nyburg’s PhD in 2009 was in Exile Studies and focused on the refugees from Nazism who transformed art publishing. The doctorate formed the basis of her book Emigres: The Transformation of Art Publishing in Britain. Since then she has published further books on design and related areas\, as well as co-making a film called Refuge Britain: Stories émigré Designers to be shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The Clothes on our Backs is her third book. \nNow a trustee of Insiders/Outsiders\, she works on events for their festival. As a committee member of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies\, she is organising a conference on the Refugees in Trade and Industry in 2023. \nDr. Nyburg is an Honorary Lecturer in the Centre for Languages\, Culture and Communication at Imperial College London where she taught languages for some 3 decades. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/refugees-from-nazism-in-the-british-clothing-industry-by-anna-nyburg-phd-london/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/23-02-28_RefugeesFromNazismInBritishClothingIndustry_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230424T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230424T203000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220801T211037Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230421T091117Z UID:10673-1682361000-1682368200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Lady Charlotte Guest and Dowlais Ironworks' by Victoria Owens DESCRIPTION:Joining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there is no need to register\nJoining us ONLINE- please use this Zoom Link which will be live from about 6:00 pm \nDr Victoria Owens examines how a pioneering businesswoman came to head the world’s largest ironworks. \nWhen impoverished aristocrat Lady Charlotte Bertie married wealthy Welsh ironmaster John Guest of Dowlais in 1833\, her relatives looked on with dismay. Yet despite their vast difference of background and age\, over their nineteen-year long marriage\, husband and wife enjoyed great happiness and much adventure. There would be ten children and while John built up an immense commercial empire\, Charlotte championed Welsh culture. \nCrucially\, she taught herself John’s business from the inside. Over the years\, she made the keenest observation of iron production\, the fluctuations of the trade and the engineering innovations that touched upon its developments. When John died in 1852\, she was therefore uniquely well-placed to succeed him as head of the works – a remarkable position for a Victorian woman. Not only did she endeavour to introduce reforms\, but also – rather to her dismay – had to weather a potentially destructive strike. But success came at a price and with her star in the ascendant\, Lady Charlotte suddenly chose to abandon all\, leave Wales and marry her sons’ tutor! \nThis presentation (& Victoria’s book on the subject) traces the ardent\, creative years of her first marriage\, explores her determination – widowed – to preserve John’s legacy\, and observes her growing devotion to her second husband\, the scholarly Charles Schreiber. \nWe would like to congratulate Victoria on winning the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Non-fiction Award for her book Lady Charlotte Guest – the exceptional life of a female industrialist and copies will be available at the meeting. \nAbout The Lecturer\nA member of the Newcomen Society\, Dr Victoria Owens has worked in local government and the book trade. Now an independent scholar\, her book Lady Charlotte Guest – the exceptional life of a female industrialist was shortlisted for the 2021 Wales Book of the Year and won the non-fiction award. Her other publications include James Brindley and the Duke of Bridgewater: Canal Visionaries (Amberley Publishing 2015) and Aqueducts and Viaducts of Britain (Amberley Publishing 2019). She is currently working on a life of L.T.C Tom Rolt\, to be published in 2024. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/lady-charlotte-guest-and-dowlais-ironworks-by-victoria-owens/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum\, Alma Street\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S3 8RG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/LadyCharlotteGuest_900x506.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230412T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230412T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220801T210805Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230411T081613Z UID:10671-1681322400-1681329600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'On Metrology' by Terry Quinn (CANCELLED - please read) DESCRIPTION:Unfortunately\, due to the uncertain nature of events in France and particularly in Paris\, our lecturer is unable to travel to give his lecture. This event has therefore been cancelled & will be rescheduled at a later date.\nThis event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nTerry Quinn graduated in physics just one year before the great revolution in metrology began with the redefinition of the Metre in terms of the wavelength of light. From antiquity\, practical dimensional measurement standards had all been based upon material artifacts and measurement of time on the rotation of the Earth. All of that changed in 2018 when the base units of the SI were redefined in terms of fixed values of a set of fundamental and atomic constants. In this lecture\, Quinn will explain how practical measurement standards can be obtained from such definitions. \nThe above image shows “Toise du Perou” (the official unit of length in France just before the metric system). This is one of two Toises that were used to decide between two theories for the shape of the Earth – one by Newton in which the earth was flattened at the Poles and one supported in France by Cassini\, who maintained that it is pointed like an upright rugby football. One Toise was taken to Lapland (the Toise du Nord) and one (this one) to Perou where the length on the ground of one degree of latitude was measured. The expeditions lasted some years in the 1740s and\, of course\, the results supported Newton’s theory. (Photo TJQ at the Paris Observatory 2017). \nAbout The Lecturer\nTerry Quinn graduated in Physics from Southampton University in 1959\, moving to Oxford for his D. Phil in what was then the Metallurgy Department. The thesis supervisor was Professor William Hume-Rothery FRS. \nIn 1962\, Quinn joined the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington where he worked on high-temperature measurement and standards. In 1967/68\, Quinn spent a year at the then National Bureau of Standards in Washington\, moving to the BIPM\, Paris in 1977 as Deputy Director\, becoming Director in 1988. He was Lady Margaret Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Cavendish Laboratory\, Cambridge in 1984/84 and retired from the BIPM in 2003. Quinn was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2002. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/on-metrology-by-terry-quinn-postponed-from-jan-2022/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/23-04-12_Metrology_TerryQuinn_ToiseDuPerou_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230328T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230328T203000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220801T210202Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230322T102618Z UID:10667-1680028200-1680035400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Scottish Agricultural Implements' by Dr Heather Holmes DESCRIPTION:Due to unforseen circumstances this lecture is now\nOnline only for Mailing List Members.\nWe apologise for the change of plan. \nIn Scotland\, the making of agricultural implements and machines developed into an important business during the second half of the nineteenth century with some firms becoming nationally and even internationally known. Their businesses ranged from small family run ones to large enterprises with branches throughout the Empire and activities were also wide ranging\, comprising a variety of trades\, including engineering\, ironfounding\, steam engine making and millwrighting. \nThis paper looks at challenges and opportunities arising from developing a directory of Scottish agricultural implement and machine makers between 1843 and 1914. This includes consideration of the sources of evidence recording the makers; the nature and character of the makers and their activity; the documentation of their activities; relations between makers; and application of the methodology of the directory other parts of Britain. \nAbout The Lecturer\nDr Heather Holmes is an independent researcher. She received her doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in 1997. From a farming background at Balerno\, Midlothian\, she has an interest in the material culture of Scottish agriculture including agricultural implements\, machines\, newspapers and books. Her books include “As good as a holiday”: Potato harvesting in the Lothians from 1870 to the present (2000)\, Tattie howkers: Irish potato workers in Ayrshire (2005) and Scottish agricultural implement and machine makers 1843 to 1914: a directory (Scottish Record Society\, 2020). \nShe runs the associated website and facebook pages of Scottish agricultural implement makers and has been published in a range of journals including The Agricultural History Review\, Folk Life: Journal of Ethnological Studies and Journal of the Edinburgh Bibliographical Society. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/scottish-agricultural-implements-by-heather-holmes/ LOCATION:This is an Online Event CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/23-03-28_ScottishAgriculturalImplements_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230308T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230308T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220801T205806Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230113T114236Z UID:10665-1678298400-1678305600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Edmund Beckett Denison\, the father of Big Ben' by Chris McKay DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nWhen the Old Houses of Parliament burned down in 1844\, the plan was for a magnificent new replacement complete with clock tower. \nFrom the very beginning the clock procurement was fraught with difficulties.  A change happened when George Biddle Airy\, the Astronomer Royal\, was appointed referee for the Great Clock.  He specified that the first blow on the hour bell should be accurate to a second.  London clockmakers said the specification was impossible but Edward John Dent wanted to tender for the clock.  Airy co-opted the help of Edmund Beckett Denison\, a successful lawyer who had been educated in mechanics by a village carpenter. \nDenison wrote a book in 1850 ‘A Rudimentary Treatise on Clocks Watches and Bells’.  It was the first easy-reading on clocks.  Denison was a crusty character – if it was not for his determination and faith in himself\, then the Great Clock might still be under construction! \nAbout The Lecturer\nAfter graduating from Sussex University\, Chris McKay spent 23 years in the electronics industry.  Following redundancy\, he fell into teaching technology in schools\, ending up as the head of department in a top prep school.  Following this\, he spent some years restoring turret clocks. \nMcKay has always been interested in turret clocks and his book ‘The Turret Clock Keeper’s Handbook’ explains how to look after the church clock.  ‘The Repair\, Restoration\, Conservation and Preservation of Turret Clocks’ followed to fill a big gap in horological education. \nWhen 13 years old\, McKay found Edmund Beckett Denison’s book on Clocks Watches and Bells and was fascinated by the description of Big Ben.  After many years and much research\, in 2010 Oxford University Press published Chris’s book ‘Big Ben:  The Great Clock and Bells at the Palace of Westminster’. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/edmund-beckett-denison-the-father-of-big-ben-by-chris-mckay/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/23-03-10_EdmundBeckettDenisonTheFatherOfBigBen_ChrisMcKay_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230208T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230208T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220801T082302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T234309Z UID:10653-1675879200-1675886400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Mechanisation in UK Coal Mining - the Nationalised Years' by Drs Mark Pegg & John Kanefsky DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Crown Copyright (Expired – Pre 01-06-1957) \nThis event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nThe rise and fall of the coal industry was one of the key drivers of Britain’s industrial\, technological and economic history over three centuries and more. \nIncreasing mechanisation under the nationalised industry after WW2\, and the managed retreat from large scale coal mining\, presents a fascinating study in the history of engineering and technology. \nDrs Pegg and Kanefsky had ringside seats in the cataclysmic changes in the industry from the late 1970s\, both as researchers and managers.  This presentation focuses on how the previously sluggish mechanisation of mining under private ownership accelerated under state ownership\, and analyses the key economic and technical drivers of increasing capital intensity.  As well as the better known underground mines\, it also looks briefly at how the mechanisation of the opencast sector developed. \nLarge scale coal mining is of course now a thing of the past in the UK\, and seems likely to remain so as geology\, politics and economics combine against any revival\, but is still a huge industry worldwide. \nAbout The Lecturers\nDr Mark Pegg  MA(Oxon) D.Phil Cgr CCMI FCIPD\nMark teaches\, consults and researches on strategy\, leadership and team development. After Oxford University he worked in the UK coal mining industry in deep mines and headquarters where he was the Chairman’s personal assistant researching modern coal mining history. After working as a management consultant\, he became a Director of a Business School and CEO of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education with extensive experience in the UK\, Europe\, Middle East\, Far East and Africa.  Recent clients included Rolls-Royce plc and the UK Senior Civil Service. He is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. \nDr John Kanefsky PhD MBA\nJohn studied and taught at the University of Exeter in the 1970s\, and was awarded his PhD “The Diffusion of Power Technology in British Industry 1760-1870” in 1979. \nHe then joined the National Coal Board\, first as one of the authors of their history of coal mining and co-curator of the COAL art exhibition then\, until privatisation\, in management at national HQ (focusing on capital investment and corporate affairs) and at Opencast HQ where he led on planning and licensing.  He was subsequently at the Coal Authority and thereafter had a varied career in the NHS and educational research before retirement. \nHe is now an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter.  His current research focuses on 18th century steam power and on Devon in the 18th and 19th centuries. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/mechanisation-in-uk-coal-mining-the-nationalised-years-by-mark-pegg-john-kanefsky/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/23-02-08_MechanisationInUKCoalMiningV2_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230201T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230201T210000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20230113T093225Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230113T093933Z UID:12142-1675278000-1675285200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Reverse Engineering' by Dr. John Moyle DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nDr. John Moyle will talk on the subject of “Reverse Engineering”\, sometimes called “back engineering”. This is a process in which machines\, weapons\, architectural structures\, software and other products are “deconstructed” to extract design information from them. \nAbout The Lecturer\nDr. John Moyle is a Chartered Engineer\, retired Physician & Anaesthetist plus historian with a particular interest in telegraphy and medical technology. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/reverse-engineering-by-dr-john-moyle/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/23-02-01_ReverseEngineering_1920x1200.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230111T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230111T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220801T081530Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230103T132905Z UID:10647-1673460000-1673467200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:Presidential Address: 'Trying to secure the past' - innovation studies & the evolution of technology by Jonathan Aylen DESCRIPTION:This event is also the Society’s Presidential Address & is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nTechnical development often follows an evolutionary path.  There may be a variety of solutions to a technical problem. A preferred approach often emerges.  In turn\, this may become a “dominant design”.  Sometimes technology gets locked-in to a preferred solution which may not be the best outcome\, but satisfactory for the time being. Evolution need not produce optimal outcomes. \nThis lecture gives examples of the evolution of technical knowledge\, showing practical engineering solutions adopted by a range of twentieth century technologies.  Evolution of technology is “Lamarckian” rather than “Darwinian” as solutions are directly incorporated into successive generations of a technology. \nThe central problem of an evolutionary approach is the elimination of human agents from the story – those who create the technology and those who guide its adoption.  But evolution does have much to teach us\, for example about selection of new technologies for a low carbon future. \nAbout the Lecturer\nDr Jonathan Aylen is immediate past President of the Newcomen Society who has researched a range of twentieth century technologies including missile guidance systems\, nuclear weapons\, rolling mill design and computer use in steel production and on the railways.  Currently Dr Aylen is a visiting senior research fellow at the University of Manchester. For more info please visit his Newcomen profile Dr. Jonathan Aylen URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/presidential-address-trying-to-secure-the-past-innovation-studies-the-evolution-of-technology-by-jonathan-aylen/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/23-01-11_SecuringThePast_Argus-200-Ferrite-Core-Memory-JA-copyright_1920x1272.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230104T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230104T220000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20230103T093859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230103T133155Z UID:12125-1672858800-1672869600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Pentrich Engine' by David Hulse DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option\, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page. \nThe Pentrich engine\, designed by Francis Thompson\, was constructed in 1791 to pump water out of a coal mine at Pentrich in Derbyshire. \nDavid Hulse will describe its features and tell its history\, based on his research while building a detailed 1/16th scale model of the original engine. Pictures of the model will be used to illustrate the talk. \nAbout The Lecturer\nIn 1970\, David Hulse started a project which was to occupy all his spare time for the next 45 years! He has researched and constructed in miniature the important steam engines which were built in the eighteenth century. \nThese engines paved the way for the industrial revolution in the British Isles and which spread to many other countries throughout the world. These eighteenth century engines are usually grouped together and called steam engines\, however\, they were not steam engines. Steam was used as a means of creating a vacuum against which the earth’s pressure could act. The correct terminology is that they were atmospheric engines. \nPlease visit David’s website: davidhulse.co.uk for more info. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-pentrich-engine-by-david-hulse/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/23-01-04_ThePentrichEngine_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221214T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221214T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220731T145733Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221202T210555Z UID:10632-1671040800-1671048000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:POSTPONED - 'The Vierendeel bridge story' by Bernard Espion DESCRIPTION:DUE TO INDUSTRIAL ACTION THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED \nCHECK BACK LATER FOR RESCHEDULED DATE \nThe bridge’s origins and fate in the introduction of electrical arc welding in Belgium \nThis presentation will trace the history of the application of the girder without diagonals to steel bridges from 1895 onwards\, when the Belgian engineer Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940) filed a patent for it. Vierendeel then began a long battle\, both in Belgium and abroad\, to promote and impose the use of ‘his’ girder\, which was not really accepted in Belgium – and still very cautiously – until the 1920s. \nThe presentation will also trace the circumstances that led to the massive use of this type of beam by the Administration des Ponts et Chaussées for the construction of some fifty bridges to cross Belgium’s Albert Canal in the years 1933-1938. This was the first time that electric arc welding was used on a massive scale\, without any real hindsight\, to make connections in steel bridges. It led to the collapse without warning of the Hasselt bridge on 13 March 1938\, a date that can be considered as the beginning of another story\, that of the brittle failure. The presentation will also discuss the aftermath of this resounding accident in its scientific and technical dimensions. \nAbout the Lecturer\nBernard Espion is Professor emeritus from the University of Brussels (ULB) where he has taught structural analysis and design for 40 years\, directing the laboratory of civil engineering 2000-2021. He has written numerous construction history papers dealing with heritage structures\, bridges\, reinforced and prestressed concrete structures\, engineers and contractors\, especially in Belgium. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/welded-steel-bridges-by-bernard-espion/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TheVierendeelBridgeStory_BrianEspion_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221214T173000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221214T200000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20221207T104940Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221207T110234Z UID:11222-1671039000-1671048000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Concorde: An Engineering Failure?' by Dr Fred Starr DESCRIPTION:The challenge of designing a supersonic passenger transport\, and the reason why Concorde fell short of the range and passenger capacity. \nThis is not about the Air France Concorde air crash. It is about the challenge of designing a supersonic passenger transport\, and the reasons why Concorde fell short of the range and passenger carrying ability originally expected. As a result\, commercial interest in Concorde fell away. Failure to meet targets is a feature of “engineering failures”\, which impress the public and politicians\, and appear successful\, but no one buys them. \nOperating very close to the speed of sound\, or the Sound Barrier in other words\, is extremely costly in terms of fuel consumption. Indeed\, once Concorde was through the Sound Barrier\, the faster it flew\, the more economical was it\, and the greater the range. However\, high speed subjects an airframe to high temperatures\, and given the strength and temperature performance of aluminium alloys\, the best that could be hoped for was Mach 2.2\, or 1450 mph. \nThen there was the power needed to get through the sound barrier…..Approximately twice as much thrust is needed to fly at just above the speed of sound\, as is required to fly just below it. And for supersonic flight a rather unusual type of jet engine is needed. All that Britain had was the Bristol Olympus\, a really great engine\, but dating from the early fifties. By 1960 it had already been “stretched” to meet the needs of the latest Avro Vulcan bombers. It was a huge challenge to produce even more thrust. \nAnother big issue was the sonic boom. Initially dismissed\, when Concorde was first envisaged\, it slowly became clear that sonic bangs\, scores of times a day\, could not be tolerated. Unfortunately\, flying at subsonic speeds\, over land\, cut Concorde’s range. \nAs the design and construction of Concorde proceeded\, weight increased. Afterburning became necessary at take off\, and a longer period at afterburning thrust was needed when getting through the transonic range. Impacting on fuel demands and aircraft weight. Increased weight was too much for the aluminium structure at Mach 2.2. Restricting cruising speed to Mach 2.04 or 1345 mph. Range suffered\, as at supersonic speed\, slower means less economical flight. \nA vicious circle had begun\, where\, in addition\, the restriction on supersonic flight over land added to the range challenge. Concorde became good for nothing more than London-Washington and Paris-Washington. In addition\, on hot days\, out of Washington\, passenger numbers were restricted. As were sales to airline companies\, other than Air France and British Airways. \nThe talk ends with a few words about the hopes for “supersonic business jets”. This might interest genuine multi millionaires in the audience. \nAbout the Lecturer\nDr Fred Starr FIMMM\, FIE\, MIMechE\, C. Eng. \nUsually\, any biography about me has emphasised my British Gas/Metallurgy/Energy background. As the present talk is on Concorde\, specifically “Was it an Engineering Failure” I thought it helpful to show\, that while I have no formal training in aeronautical engineering\, I have enough background to say something useful and different about the subject in point. \nMy interest in the technical side of aviation began when I was still in the Sixth Form\, mainly through the series of articles that the aviation journalist\, Roy Braybrook wrote in the magazine\, “Flying Review”. Here he endeavoured to estimate the performance of the latest Russian fighters and bombers. He showed me that there was a science behind the design of aircraft. I eventually had the pleasure of meeting Roy in the Woodman\, near Leatherhead\, where I was able to tell him that his stuff had gone towards saving my career at British Gas. He sniffed\, in his curmudgeonly way\, until I told him that I had built a closed cycle gas turbine. \nThere was a long gap between reading Flying Review in the 1960s and the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine Project. When\, in the late 1980s\, after I had outlined the proposal to Grev Gibson\, an Assistant Director at British Gas\, London Research Station\, in Fulham\, I was told to get on with it. Since almost all of my spare time had been spent reading up on aircraft and aircraft engine design\, I had enough basic knowledge to take the project forward. Doing the job meant I had to professionalise my hobby. \nOne of the key parts of the closed cycle is the gas turbine itself. But it has to be of an unusual type. Although having a high inlet temperature\, it runs at a very low pressure ratio. For this reason\, engine builders in this country couldn’t help. However\, the Helicopter Division at Westlands told me that my best option would be a modified diesel truck turbocharger. Try Holset Ltd\, in Huddersfield\, they said. So a “Closed Cycle Demonstrator” was built on Coleshill Gas works. As well as the truck turbocharger\, it incorporated a fired heater\, printed circuit recuperator and fin fan cooler. The attached picture shows Grev Gibson and myself overlooking the Demonstrator. As you will see it was not intended to take off! \nTo register for this lecture (Eventbrite) URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/concorde-an-engineering-failure-by-dr-fred-starr/ LOCATION:This is an Online Event CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/British_Airways_Concorde_G-BOAC_03_14400x929.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221212T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221212T203000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220731T145513Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221209T122759Z UID:10630-1670871600-1670877000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'John Smeaton and the Calder Navigation' by Lesley Taylor & Shirley Levons DESCRIPTION:This is a joint meeting with South Yorkshire Industrial History Society (SYIHS) \nAvailable both in-person and online. \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there is no need to register\nJoining us ONLINE-  please use the Zoom Link below which will be live from about 6:30 pm on the 12th Dec. \nIf you wish to join us online the Zoom link is:- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83188182714?pwd=MzREdldqaGN3UHAxeXBzVEdqeGlXdz09\nMeeting ID: 831 8818 2714\nPasscode: 562408 \nThe meeting will start at a slightly later time of 7:00 pm and tea and coffee will be available from 6:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you to what will be an interesting talk and discussion. \nThis talk will explore the background to the factors that lead to the River Calder being made navigable above Wakefield\, and will cover the first four years of construction\,1760-63\, when John Smeaton\, the engineer-in-chief wrote a weekly journal. This has been used as the basis of the talk (and our book) in combination with many other source materials such as plans\, letters\, minutes\, accounts\, Acts of Parliament and Parliamentary Journals. \nIt will outline the many years before the scheme gained Parliamentary approval\, the people who drove the scheme forward\, and the conflicts and disappointments they faced. The practical requirements will be brought into sharp focus: the planning\, negotiating and financing\, and the sourcing of labour\, materials and equipment. As the work gradually progressed the story is often of difficulties faced on this volatile river and the disagreements which these setbacks caused. \nAbout The Lecturers\nLesley Taylor and Shirley Levon are local historians from Wakefield with a shared interest in the eighteenth century. Upon retirement from teaching Lesley studied for an MA in local history at York University focusing on Wakefield in the eighteenth century. Shirley was a teacher who had researched her own family history for many years\, but on retirement over twenty years ago became interested in local history\, and the collaboration with Lesley developed. In 2014 they published a book based on the letters of two women who lived in Wakefield in the eighteenth century. Involvement in a project about Wakefield Waterfront led to the discovery of Smeatons’ Journal\, and after considerable research\, they based their recent book on the subject. \nAbout The Venue\nPlease Note:-  The parking arrangements at the Museum have changed and the car park adjacent to the river is now closed and is being used by the Museum Cafe and Bar as an outdoor seating area.  Details of the new parking arrangements can be found at http://www.simt.co.uk/kelham-island-museum/plan-your-visit URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/john-smeaton-and-the-calder-navigation-by-lesley-taylor-shirley-levons/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum\, Alma Street\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S3 8RG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/22-12-12_JohnSmeatonAndTheCalderNavigation_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221207T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221207T210000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220731T144924Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221122T105249Z UID:10627-1670439600-1670446800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Invention & Design; Elkington of Birmingham' by Dr. Jonathan Berg DESCRIPTION:Dr. Jonathan Berg discusses the invention of electroplating and its commercialisation in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/invention-elkington-of-birmingham-by-dr-jonathan-berg/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/22-12-07_ElkingtonOfBirminghamCirca1860_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221102T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221102T210000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220731T142207Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221030T182425Z UID:10611-1667415600-1667422800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Brickyard Engines that drove Clay Mills in the Early 19th Century' by Elizabeth Thomson DESCRIPTION:Elizabeth Thomson considers a critical aspect for Britain’s urban growth URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/brickyard-engines-that-drove-clay-mills-in-the-early-c19-by-elizabeth-thomson/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/22-11-02_BrickYardEnginesThatDroveClayMills_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221005T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221005T210000 DTSTAMP:20260709T131739 CREATED:20220731T133700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220926T111010Z UID:10593-1664996400-1665003600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Newcomen Engine Pumping House at Brislington' by David Hardwick DESCRIPTION:David Hardwick discusses the historical and archaeological appraisal of the standing building in Brislington URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-newcomen-engine-pumping-house-at-brislington-by-david-hardwick/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Newcomen Online Lecture,UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/22-10-05_NewcomenPumpingHouseBrislington_1920x1080.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR