BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Newcomen.com - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Newcomen.com 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:20250330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20251026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20260329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20261025T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20270328T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20271031T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260311T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260311T193000 DTSTAMP:20260429T102357 CREATED:20250915T150907Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T090837Z UID:16540-1773252000-1773257400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Vernacular Practice: Joseph Whitworth’s papers on Flatness & Threads' by John Gardner DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. No need to register – just come along or click this zoom link to join on-line. \nThis lecture examines the relationship between workshop practice and standards for threads and flatness by analysing two influential papers by Joseph Whitworth\, which achieved a broad readership after being published in the 6d Mechanics’ Magazine in 1841. These papers are: \n1. “Plane Metallic Surfaces and the Proper Mode of Preparing Them” (read at the British Association meeting in Glasgow in 1840\, published in Mechanics’ Magazine\, no. 910\, 16 January 1841\, pp. 39-42).\n2. “A Uniform System of Screw Threads” (read to the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1841\, published in Mechanics’ Magazine\, no. 951\, 30 October 1841\, pp. 340-344). \nThe argument is that these papers remain relevant in modern engineering standards. Whitworth’s proposal for standard screw threads significantly contributed to the construction of the Crystal Palace in 1851\, which was completed in just 190 days using approximately 30\,000 nuts and bolts. This was achieved despite there being no standardized thread form until 1905. The contemporary engineer James Nasmyth highlighted the chaos and expense caused by the lack of a standardized thread form\, where each bolt and nut was unique\, leading to confusion and inefficiency: \n‘No system was observed as to “pitch”\, i.e.\, the number of threads to the inch\, nor was any rule followed as to the form of these threads. Every bolt and nut was thus a specialty in itself […] all bolts and their corresponding nuts had to be marked as belonging to each other; and any mixing of them together led to endless trouble\, hopeless confusion\, and enormous expense.’ (James Nasmyth\, Engineer: An Autobiography (1883)\, p.131.) \nWhitworth’s proposal advocated for a practical\, workshop-based method to promote his thread form\, rather than relying solely on theoretical principles. \nResearch for this talk has involved working with the London Science Museum and the Crystal Palace Museum. Original bolts from the Crystal Palace and towers were examined\, measured\, and remanufactured establishing that Whitworth’s vernacular thread form was used to build the Palace. The plane metallic surfaces standard that Whitworth helped achieve\, which relied on hand-scraping\, initially annoyed his workers who thought hand work a retrograde step after using machines. Nevertheless\, the method he published on stands to this day as process through which to achieve a high degree of flatness. In this talk\, John Gardner will discuss Whitworth’s papers on flatness and threads\, their origins in workshop practice\, and their legacy in engineering standards. \nAbout the Speaker\nJohn Gardner is Dean of the Doctoral School at Anglia Ruskin University. \nJohn’s recent publications include: ‘Thread form at the Crystal Palace’ (Journal for the History of Engineering and Technology\, 2024); The 1830s\, with David Stewart (CUP\, 2024); ‘Waterloo to Peterloo‘ in The Oxford Handbook to Romantic Prose\, ed. by Robert Morrison (OUP\, 2024); ‘Liberalism’ in The 1820s\, Innovation and Diffusion ed. by Matt Sangster and Jon Mee. (Edinburgh University Press\, 2023); ‘Shelley’s Steamship’ Keats-Shelley Journal 71 (2022); and ‘A Dangerous Education; the Early Mechanics’ Institutes’ in Institutions as Networks (CUP\, 2022). \nJohn is currently working on a monograph entitled ‘Engineering Romanticism’. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/vernacular-practice-joseph-whitworths-papers-on-flatness-threads-by-john-gardner/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/26-03-11_VernacularPracticeJosephWhitworth_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260323T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260323T200000 DTSTAMP:20260429T102357 CREATED:20250922T103829Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T150440Z UID:16575-1774290600-1774296000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'W. G. Fearnsides FRS: a geological model of vision and versatility' by Duncan Hawley DESCRIPTION:Joining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ON-Line – click this zoom link (Passcode 114394) \nW. G. Fearnsides (1879–1968) was born in West Yorkshire. He was a first-class scholar in geology at the University of Cambridge and following an interesting interlude in the USA\, he returned to Cambridge\, initially as a freelance geologist\, then working in the Geology Department\, contributing to their focus of research on the rocks of north and central Wales. In 1913\, he was appointed the first occupant of the Sorby Chair of Geology at the University of Sheffield\, establishing the Geology Department at Sheffield and deciding to follow similar veins of research to Sheffield geologist H.C. Sorby. \nIn his time\, Fearnsides was an outstanding geologist of remarkable versatility\, especially in the fields of applied science. One of his key legacies was a better understanding of how to apply geology and the importance of research on resources\, especially coal\, iron ore and local refractory materials. Another legacy is in highlighting the importance of ‘home geology’ for national resilience and security. Arguably\, the raw-material-based industries of Sheffield and beyond would not have been so productive and resourceful in two world wars without the efforts of W. G. Fearnsides. \nW. G. Fearnsides was honoured by many scientific and professional societies. He received the gold medal of the Surveyors’ Institution in 1913 and the Greenwell Medal from the North of England Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He was an honorary member of the Institute of Mining Engineers. \nAbout the Speaker\nDuncan Hawley is a native of Sheffield\, born and brought up in Wadsley on the northern edge of the city\, overlooking the industry in the Don Valley. One of his abiding memories of his youth is the sound of regular thumps from drop forges that drifted up from the valley. As Ken Hawley’s son you might expect him to be well-versed on tools – but he readily admits he knows ‘nowt’ about tools\, although he probably imbibed more about Sheffield tools and its industrial history than most. He always refers to a turnscrew\, never a screwdriver (which is an American term). \nDuncan attended High Storrs School\, then studied geology at UCL\, Aberystwyth and Oxford\, then followed a varied career as a geography and geoscience educator in schools\, field centres\, universities\, curriculum development and teacher education. He is known for his work on teaching physical geography. Throughout\, he maintained an interest in the history of geology\, and probably inherited something of his father’s collecting trait as he now holds a collection of early geological maps and other artefacts. \nDuncan is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and Chairperson of the History of Geology Group and regularly publishes on the history of geology. Additionally\, he is active in geoheritage and geoconservation as Chairperson of the Sheffield Area Geology Trust and he keeps his hand in with local industrial heritage as a trustee of the Ken Hawley Collection Trust. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/w-g-fearnsides-frs-a-geological-model-of-vision-and-versatility-by-duncan-hawley/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum\, Alma Street\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S3 8RG CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/26-02-23_WGFearnsidesFRS_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260415T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260415T193000 DTSTAMP:20260429T102357 CREATED:20250915T152940Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T091014Z UID:16543-1776276000-1776281400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'A plain substantial piece of workmanship: the marine compound engine & the tramp ship in 19C Britain' by Dr Oliver Carpenter DESCRIPTION:This event is both an in-person and on-line event. No need to register – just come along or click this zoom link to join on-line. \nThe ‘tramp’ ship was created and constructed as a distinct type of merchant vessel in the 1870s and 1880s by shipbuilders and shipowners operating predominantly out of ports and rivers in the North East of England. \nTo explain the construction of tramp shipping in this period\, this lecture explores the key technology that really made ‘tramping’ across the oceans a viable\, economical and profitable venture. \nDr Oliver Carpenter‘s argument is that the adoption and use of the marine compound engine by shipowners created the ‘tramp’ class of merchant steam ships for the first time in a new and rapidly-growing sector in British shipping. \nAbout the Speaker\nDr Oliver Carpenter is Curator of Infrastructure & Built Environment at the Science Museum in London. He is responsible for the national collections of Building Construction; Civil Engineering; Docks & Diving; Electricity Supply; Firefighting; Gas Industry; Heating\, Cooling & Ventilation; Lighting; Locks & Fastenings; Nuclear Energy and Sewerage & Sanitation. \nOliver was Lead Curator of Energy Revolution at The Adani Green Energy Gallery – a major new permanent gallery about the low-carbon energy transition\, which opened at the Science Museum in 2024. Before joining the Science Museum in 2015\, he was a Collections Research Volunteer at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and Associate Lecturer in History of Science\, Technology and Medicine at University of Kent. \nOliver has a PhD in History of Technology and has published on the history of the British merchant shipping industry in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. He is a member of the Newcomen Society Council. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/a-plain-substantial-piece-of-workmanship-the-marine-compound-engine-the-tramp-ship-in-19c-britain-by-dr-oliver-carpenter/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/26-04-15_MarineCompoundEngineAndTrampShip_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260427T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260427T200000 DTSTAMP:20260429T102357 CREATED:20250922T105046Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260222T083508Z UID:16579-1777314600-1777320000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Anatomy of an Iron Works. A detailed exploration of the Park Gate Iron Works between 1847 & 1859' by David Boursnell DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Matt Buck | Creative Commons \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ON-LINE – click this zoom link (Passcode 221294) \nThe Park Gate Iron Works in Rotherham started in 1823 as a tin plate works. In 1833\, a group of Birmingham businessmen took over and renamed it the Birmingham Tin Plate Company. In 1838\, the company recruited new investors to expand the business and built a blast furnace to produce their own iron. \nIn 1844\, Charles Geach and Samuel Beale bought the business\, and the company was renamed Samuel Beale and Co. In order to manage the business from their head office in Birmingham\, they collected detailed monthly information about the production process\, including the amount and cost of the raw materials as well as all the operational costs. The figures were recorded in four small pocket books covering the years 1847 to 1859 and transferred to the head office.\nAt the peak\, the notebooks record the figures from xx coal mines\, xx ironstone mines\, 5 blast furnaces on 4 sites\, puddling furnaces\, three rolling mills and various forges. These figures enable us to draw a detailed picture of the process of making iron at Park Gate. \nRails remained the company’s biggest product\, but the company diversified into ship plates and supplied all the plates for Brunel’s SS Great Eastern\, including the largest plates ever rolled at that time. Based on this experience\, they made rolled armour plates for the Crimean War and were the first company to overcome the technical difficulties of this process. \nAbout the Speaker\nDavid Boursnell is a published author & researcher of Naval Armour – both manufacturers & manufacturing\, and a consultant to Kelham Island Industrial Museum\, Sheffield URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-anatomy-of-an-iron-works-a-detailed-exploration-of-the-park-gate-iron-works-between-1847-1859-by-david-boursnell/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum\, Alma Street\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S3 8RG CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/26-04-27_TheAnatomyofanIronWorks_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260513T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260513T193000 DTSTAMP:20260429T102357 CREATED:20260209T142551Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T131342Z UID:16777-1778695200-1778700600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Dickinson Memorial Lecture' by Bridget Eickhoff DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Image courtesy of the Julia Elton Collection \nThis event is both an in-person and on-line event. No need to register – just come along or click this zoom link to join on-line. \n The Historical & Current Challenges of Gauging & their Impact on the Operations of Railways & Canals \nBridget Eickhoff will start this presentation with some of the concerns regarding tunnels for the early railway builders and look at some of the magnificent structures that these engineers produced. \nShe will then consider the challenges that have emerged in more recent times\, from 1970s to the present day\, both in Great Britain and internationally\, and how railway gauging engineers have been continually innovating to rise to these challenges. \nBridget will also look briefly at the different but related issues with gauging of canals. \nAbout the Speaker\nBridget Eickhoff is Principal Infrastructure Engineer at Rail Safety and Standards Board and Honorary Professor of Railway Interface Engineering at the University of Birmingham (Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education) where she supports the MSc programmes. \nShe has extensive experience in railway vehicle-track interaction and wheel-rail contact\, including the study of derailment mechanisms\, track forces and deterioration\, gauge clearance methods\, related standards and approval processes. \nBridget has been involved in the development of GB and international standards in associated areas as well as supporting a number of research and innovation projects. She is also a past Chair of the IMechE Railway Division. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-dickinson-memorial-lecture-the-historical-current-challenges-of-gauging-their-impact-on-the-operations-of-railways-canals-by-bridget-eickhoff/ LOCATION:LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery\, 75 Cowcross St\, Clerkenwell\, London\, EC1M 6EL CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - London Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-05-13_HistoricalAndCurrentChallengesofGauging_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR