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'The Development of Road Transport Technology in the Turnpike Age' by Dr John Kanefsky
2023-02-16 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
The fascination of historians and technologists with the railway, and the vast documented history thereof, has led to the under-appreciation of the huge advances in road transport during the century after 1750 – the so-called “Turnpike Age”, when long-distance travel within England became much faster, safer, more reliable and more comfortable.
This talk seeks to correct that gap. It examines how the technology of road transport developed in three broad areas:

the design and engineering of the roads, especially turnpikes;
the techniques of road construction and maintenance; and
the design and construction of the vehicles – coaches and waggons

The presentation will use examples from a wide range of sources, but with special emphasis on the South West and the roads between Devon and Bristol / Bath.
About The Lecturer
Dr John Kanefsky studied and taught at the University of Exeter in the 1970s.
He then joined the National Coal Board history project, afterwards moving into management. Following privatisation, Dr Kanefsky had a varied career at the Coal Authority; in the NHS; in educational research; and lecturing in economic history.
He is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter. As well as Dr Kanefsky’s better-known research on steam power, he has written extensively about turnpike roads and is working on a monograph about the industrial history of Devon, with emphasis on road transport.

'Newcomen Engine Buildings in 18thC Europe' by David Hardwick
2023-04-20 18:00 - 20:00
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.
A Comparative Architectural History – This talk is adapted from one that the lecturer David Hardwick was asked to present to the conference on Early Steam Engines in Central European Mining on 8th October 2022, held in Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia. It builds on his previous research into the engine houses in Brislington (nr Bristol, England), Auchenharvie (Ayrshire, Scotland) and Dannemora (Sweden), to consider the evidence available, both physical and documentary, regarding what buildings elsewhere in Europe may have looked like.
About The Lecturer
David is a self employed chartered building specialist in historic buildings and particularly industrial archaeology. For more than a decade, he has been researching the nature of the construction of the buildings that housed the first engines following the invention of the atmospheric engine by Thomas Newcomen.

'Medieval Windmills to Turbines' by Dr Bryan Lawton
2023-05-18 19:30 - 21:30
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.
The talk describes the experimental and theoretical work on windmills from Bacon‘s early experiments using paper sails and a bellows, through Smeaton‘s rotating arm device, Perry‘s more sophisticated rotating arm, and into the present day use of wind tunnels. The developments in scientific understanding are outlined.
About The Lecturer
Dr Bryan Lawton was a Western Region committee member for more than 20 years and recently stood down as Chairman. He has published five papers in the TNS/ IJHET and was one of the organisers of the “Piston Engine Revolution” and “Swords into Ploughshares” conferences. His two-volume work on the early history of mechanical engineering was given the American Society of Mechanical Engineers “Engineering Historian” award.

'History of Diamond Core Drilling' by Professor Roger Burt
2023-10-19 19:30 - 21:00
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
Diamond drilling was one of the most important, yet under-researched mechanical technologies to be introduced during the late nineteenth century. A relatively simple arrangement, it was designed on a principle first explored by the ancient Greeks using a round, hollow drill-bit, tipped with rough diamonds, working by rotation rather than impact, to cut through rock and extract an intact 'core' of the ground through which it passed.
It provided the first opportunity for exploration geologists and miners to 'see' into the underlying geological strata, without the costly and time-consuming process of sinking man-sized shafts and tunnels. It proved critical to the discovery and development of the world's non-surface exposing mineral deposits – such as the great Minnesota iron range – and thus facilitated the great outpouring of metalliferous minerals that has supplied world industrialization.
Later it became the principal method for discovering and producing oil, and today it provides the base technology for fracking. As we begin the exploration of the moon, mars and the planets and asteroids around us, it continues to provide the main means of examining the surface and the rocks below.
About the Speaker
Professor Roger Burt is the Emeritus Professor of Mining History at the University of Exeter and past President of the American Mining History Association and the International Mining History Congress.
Professor Burt has published numerous books and articles on mining history in the UK and overseas and his forthcoming book on Cornish mining during the early twentieth century, to be published later this year, discusses many of the issues raised in this lecture.
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'Simon Goodrich's Tour in 1799' by John Kanefsky
2023-11-23 19:30 - 21:00
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Simon Goodrich was the Mechanist (Chief Engineer) of the Portsmouth Dockyard. In November and December 1799 he made fact-finding visits to a number of industrial cities and sites, and his detailed notes, preserved in the Science Museum, contain many observations on the industrialists he met, factories he visited and other aspects of his travels.
They are an important window on a critical period in the Industrial Revolution, when new technologies and materials were being innovated, and entrepreneurs were changing the economy of England.
About the Speaker
John Kanefsky 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.
He joined the National Coal Board, first as one of the authors of their history of coal mining then in management until privatisation. He was subsequently at the Coal Authority and thereafter had a varied career in the NHS and educational research before retirement.
He is now an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter. His research focuses on 18th century steam power and on Devon in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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'Iron Stone & Steam: Brunel's Railway Kingdom' by Tim Bryan
2024-01-18 19:30 - 21:00
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Isambard Kingdom Brunel: Victorian icon, engineer, artist, architect, designer and visionary, entrepreneur and celebrity. His astounding feats changed the British landscape, and this talk tells the story of his achievements and innovations as a railway engineer.
New to the developing world of railways in the early 1830s, Brunel soon came to rival George and Robert Stephenson, as he embarked on what he called ‘the finest work in England’. The construction of the Great Western Railway, arguably the most revolutionary of British railways, opened in 1841. The talk chronicles how, in almost thirty tumultuous years, Brunel created a rail network covering much of the South and West of England, the Midlands and Wales.
The talk will also describe how Brunel’s successes were matched by ‘monumental failures’ – the ill-fated atmospheric system used on the South Devon Railway, and the far-reaching implications of the broad gauge for his railways, which ultimately cost millions of pounds when abolished. Iron, Stone and Steam is also the story of the great engineer’s complex character and the roles of the people who helped the creative, and sometimes dictatorial, genius create his railway.
About the Speaker
Tim Bryan was born in Bristol and since graduating from the University College of Wales Aberystwyth, has worked extensively with industrial maritime and transport collections, leading the curatorial team during the development of the STEAM Museum at Swindon, before moving to the British Motor Museum as Head of Collections & Interpretation in 2004. He joined the SS Great Britain Trust as Director of the Brunel Institute in 2019, and leads the collections, conservation, education and research teams there.
A Fellow of the Museums Association and Chair of the Association of British Transport & Engineering Museums, Tim has presented at conferences and seminars in the UK, Italy, Germany and the USA on a variety of railway, museum and heritage subjects. and has written more than twenty books on railway history. His most recent title ‘Iron Stone & Steam: Brunel’s Railway Kingdom‘ was published in November 2023.

'Drifting into Digital Dependence - Control Systems in Merchant Shipping' by Vaughan Pomeroy
2024-02-15 19:30 - 21:00
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Digital systems can be found in all sorts of unlikely, and arguably sometimes unnecessary, places that we increasingly depend on in modern life. Unlike most changes in technology where take-up follows a similar pathway from early adoption to market dominance, the digital revolution is more subtle. The distance between the operator or user and the 'machine' she controls becomes invaded by digital systems which have the seductive power to lull a sense of security whilst being an incomprehensible black box.
Using the modern merchant ship as the basis, the talk will consider the pathway towards adoption of new technology, the development of automation and the resulting impact on usability. When did we become dependent on digital systems without a manual work around? How should this sort of development be recorded for historical purposes to inform future generations? The speed of change is extraordinary, and the drivers for adoption are not always clear.
About the Speaker
Vaughan Pomeroy joined the British Aircraft Corporation at Weybridge from school in 1970 as an undergraduate apprentice. His daughter points out that it is now a museum! After graduating, Vaughan returned to Weybridge working on aircraft systems, particularly avionics. He joined the consulting engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson in 1974 working on a variety of infrastructure projects, before joining Lloyd's Register of Shipping in 1980.
Vaughan retired in 2010 as Technical Director, since when he has worked with Southampton University and with universities in Singapore.

'Brunel's Swivel Bridge & Severn Tunnel’s Other Pumping Station' by Geoff Wallis & David Hardwick
2024-03-14 19:30 - 21:00
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This is a joint meeting with the Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society
Two short talks:
UPDATE on Brunel's Swivel Bridge (AKA BOB- Brunel's Other Bridge)
Speaker – Geoff Wallis
In 2022, The Newcomen Society's published volume 92 of " The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology" which was an edition focusing on this bridge regarding its history, technical significance and the work that was being undertaken to preserve it. BIAS Newsletters have have also contained updates and information on progress on this important project. This talk will pull together recent developments and the latest regarding works undertaken and the options for preservation.
The Severn Tunnel's Other Pumping Station
Speaker – David Hardwick
The Severn Rail Tunnel and the pumping engines at Sudbrook have been the subject of various articles, talks and publications. As well as a general overview, this talk considers the lesser known pumping station on the opposite bank of the river. Very little has been written about this. The speaker recently obtained a number of historic images and this talk is intended as a discussion starter regarding what else might be available.
About the Speakers
David Hardwick is a Chartered Building Surveyor with over 35 years' experience, mostly relating to historic properties. His Master's degree, in Historical Archaeology of the Modern World from Bristol University, reflects his passion for industrial heritage. He is a founder member of the South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group and a member of several other mining and industrial heritage organisations, including the Newcomen Society for which he is currently both a trustee and the Western Region Chairman. David runs his own design and surveying consultancy, specialising in building recording and analysis, with an emphasis on historic buildings. He also provides trainings and lectures both locally and nationally at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels on heritage topics as well as building defects and construction technology, both modern and historic. He is currently actively researching early engine house construction and the Celestine mining industry.
Geoff Wallis is one of the founders and past managing directors of Dorothea Restoration Engineers Ltd, the UK's foremost conservators of architectural & structural metalwork, traditional mills and historic machinery. He is a Past President of the Newcomen Society and the Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society, Course Leader of the Architectural & Structural Metalwork Conservation course at West Dean College, and Council member of the National Heritage Ironwork Group, The Avon Industrial Buildings Trust and the Museum of Bath at Work. Geoff has contributed to a number of books on practical conservation, and lectures widely on the subject.

'The Closed Cycle Gas Turbine' by Dr Fred Starr
2024-04-18 19:30 - 21:00
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This talk is about the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine but Dr Fred Starr will also discuss the CCGT or Combined Cycle Gas Turbine, which supplies up to 65% of Britain's electrical power when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining. In actual fact, in the section of British R&D, in which he worked, the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine project was deliberately set up to compete with early forms of the CCGT. The Closed Cycle Gas Turbine uses pressurised air, helium or argon, in a sort of continuous closed loop. It uses a complex and efficient thermodynamic cycle, giving a potential advantage over aero-derived and industrial gas turbines.
The closed cycle was invented in Switzerland in the 1930s, at Escher Whyss AG. But another Swiss company, Brown Boveri AG, had twenty years experience in the development of the gas turbine for industrial use. Its efforts culminated in the world's first industrial gas turbine at Neuchatel in 1939. There was obviously a flow of information between the two companies, even though they were in competition.
The principal advantage of the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine is that it can use coal or heavy oil, an impossibility with normal gas turbines. In the post war era, a number of units were built in countries that had good coal supplies but were short of oil, and where district heating was common. There was sporadic interest in Britain using peat as a fuel and waste heat from a gas works and some blue skies thinking with the closed cycle in nuclear powered aircraft. The big shortcoming of the closed cycle was that improvements in efficiency demanded a "heater" with tubing that had more high temperature strength and better resistance to corrosion from coal and heavy oil ash. In consequence, interest died, apart from a German led programme using a pebble bed high temperature nuclear reactor.
The British Gas effort, around 1990, was built around the realisation that a new range of "mechanically alloyed" high temperature steels had been developed, and that natural gas, when burnt, does not produce a corrosive ash. Dr Fred Starr "sold" the idea of a high temperature closed cycle to his Assistant Director, GH Gibson and was told to get on and build a "demonstrator". This was to test out this new high temperature heater, and incorporate all the salient features of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine. There will be a brief run through of pictures of the installation.
Real advances in the nuclear field will come from concepts like the Molten Salt and Molten Lead Reactors. If these were to come about, the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine fits in very well with these sources of high temperature heat.
About the Speaker
Dr Fred Starr graduated as Metallurgist from Battersea College (now the University of Surrey) in 1966. After a short period, training to be a shift engineer on a steam reforming plant at Hitchin, he joined British Gas, London Research Station, in Fulham where he remained for 30 years. Initially he did failure investigation on steam reforming plants, some of which included visits to the sites at Breakwater, Plymouth, and Seabank, Bristol. In this respect, a big regret was not knowing that the Newcomen Society used to meet at the Science Museum, just up the road from where he worked in Fulham.
Much of Fred’s time at London Research was spent on materials for high temperature gasifiers. When this work terminated, he came up with novel ideas for generating electricity using natural gas. This included the concept of incorporating a Stirling Engine within a gas boiler, and the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine project. His deep interest in aircraft and aircraft engines and background in steam reforming were key to the success of the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine “demonstrator”. Privatisation killed real R&D, and he left British Gas in 1996. Fred’s most important job after leaving British Gas was with the EU’s Joint Research Centre in the Netherlands, where he did the basic design for a HYPOGEN plant making hydrogen from coal. Despite this, he is extremely cynical about the hydrogen economy.
Formally “retiring” in 2007, Fred became an active member of the Newcomen Society. With the help of Bryan Lawton, John Anning and Ed Marshall he got the Society to put on a conference on The Piston Engine Revolution (the development of the IC engine). Later on, he came up with the Swords into Ploughshares conference (how WWI transformed British Engineering).

'Reflected Glory - From Coal Fires to Parabolic Reflectors' by Julia Elton
2024-05-16 19:30 - 21:00
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The development of an effective lighting system by the British Lighthouse Service in the 18th and early 19th centuries
Lighthouses were built to contain lights to guide mariners past dangerous rocks and currents. This being so, it is all the more surprising that almost none of the dozens of books on lighthouses pay any attention to the lights.
Although there have been some studies on the Fresnel refracting lens, including one by the present speaker, the earlier system of catoptric lights has been almost entirely overlooked. The catoptric system combined parabolic reflectors, which project a powerful parallel beam, with the smokeless Argand lamp. This technology represented the first application of science to lighthouse illumination and was introduced in the mid-1750s.
This lecture will look at the steps taken to develop an effective system, which was easy to maintain and continued in use long after the introduction of the Fresnel lens. The subject forms the subject of Julia’s PhD thesis and she will reveal new facts and insights about this previously unstudied period.
About the Speaker
Julia Elton read Music and Icelandic at Leeds University before training as an antiquarian book dealer at B. Weinreb Architectural Books Ltd. She went on to run her own business, Elton Engineering Books, the only firm to specialize exclusively in the history of engineering.
Julia has written and lectured widely on historic engineers and engineering and is now reading for a PhD at UCL on the history of lighthouses. She is a long-standing member of the Institution of Structural Engineers History Study Group and a past president of the Newcomen Society.
