BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Newcomen.com - ECPv6.17.5.1//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:20240331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20241027T010000 END:STANDARD 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:20261208T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261208T193000 DTSTAMP:20260820T112830Z CREATED:20260820T112830Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T112830Z UID:16946-1796752800-1796758200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Metroland - Engineering\, Economy & Social Change 1863-2026' by Dr Mark Pegg DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: Lecturer’s copyright \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. \nDr Mark Pegg discusses how one railway line changed London social and economic life by connecting city workers with the Chiltern Hills and beyond. The talk explores the civil\, mechanical and electrical engineering challenges of the steam powered and electric rolling stock\, that enabled trains to carry passengers and goods on steep gradients from London to Buckinghamshire while supplying the rapidly growing London market with coal\, fresh food and dry goods. \nMetroland was made more famous by Sir John Betjeman who wittily observed the change the railway brought to new London suburbs that grew up to provide homes in a rural environment with smoke-free air for London’s rapidly growing population\, particularly the workers who commuted daily into the heart of the City.\nThe phrase ‘Live in Metroland’ was coined by the Metropolitan Railway to promote the line in 1915 used until it became part of the London Transport Board in 1933. \nOpened in 1863\, the Metropolitan Line from Baker Street to Farringdon was the first underground railway in the world\, extending to Aldgate in 1876. At first\, it was strictly an inner-city line\, extension to Aylesbury in 1898 transformed the line into rural Buckinghamshire\, also sharing tracks with the Great Central’s ‘London Extension’ which ran into London Marylebone. Electrification went live to Rickmansworth in 1925 and later to Amersham and Chesham in 1961. Metroland is still changing today with more homes and the construction of HS2 and East-West the revival of the old Oxford to Cambridge ‘Varsity’ line. \nAbout the Speaker\nDr Mark Pegg read history at Oxford University where his published doctoral thesis was British Broadcasting and Society 1918-1939. \nHe worked in the UK coal mining industry in deep mines and headquarters where he was the Chairman’s personal assistant and also researched the modern coal mining history. After working as a management consultant\, Mark became a Director of a Business School and CEO of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. He has extensive experience in the UK\, Europe\, Middle East\, Far East and Africa with clients including central governments\, Rolls-Royce plc and the UK Senior Civil Service. \nMark is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/metroland-engineering-economy-social-change-1863-2026-by-dr-mark-pegg/ 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/2026/08/26-12-08_MetrolandEngineeringEconomySocial-Change_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261124T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261124T200000 DTSTAMP:20260908T093814Z CREATED:20260902T105011Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T093814Z UID:16970-1795545000-1795550400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'F-111K: Britain's Lost Bomber' by Dr. Richard Moore DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: USAF\, Public domain (see Wikipedia) \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome. \nFor several years in the mid-1960s\, the US-built F-111K strike/reconnaissance aircraft was the RAF’s future “spearhead”. It was intended to replace the TSR.2\, an equivalent all-British aircraft beloved of test pilots and aircraft industry executives\, notoriously cancelled by the Labour government in 1965 and now the focus of much nostalgia. \nFollowing a bitter political battle\, the F-111K also saw off a new generation of Royal Navy aircraft carriers. \nThis paper explores the technical\, military and political history of the F-111K up to and including its own dramatic cancellation in 1968. It also sheds a little light on the RAF’s jaundiced view of the TSR.2. \nAbout the Speaker\nDr Richard Moore is a visiting senior research fellow at the Department of War Studies\, King’s College London\, working mainly on the history of the British nuclear weapons programme. \nHis second book Nuclear Illusion\, Nuclear Reality: Britain\, the United States and Nuclear Weapons 1958-64 was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2010 and his journal articles include ‘We are a modern Navy: abolishing the Royal Navy’s rum ration‘ in the Mariner’s Mirror and ‘The British government\, nuclear testing\, and the arms race 1961-62‘ in the Historical Journal. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/f-111k-britains-lost-bomber-by-dr-richard-moore/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\,\, Manchester\, M1 5BY CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/26-11-24_F111K_BritainsLostBomber_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261123T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261123T201500 DTSTAMP:20260902T114512Z CREATED:20260902T114512Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T114512Z UID:16955-1795458600-1795464900@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Sheffield Heavy Spring Trade 1829 – 2025' by John Austin DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ON-Line – click this zoom link \nDETAILS TO FOLLOW \nAbout the Speaker\nDETAILS TO FOLLOW URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-sheffield-heavy-spring-trade-1829-2025-by-john-austin/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria\, Victoria Station Road\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S4 7YE CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - South Yorkshire Branch ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261118T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261118T193000 DTSTAMP:20260820T110605Z CREATED:20260820T110605Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T110605Z UID:16942-1795024800-1795030200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Better than Steam? Davy\, Faraday\, the Brunels & the Gaz Engine\, 1823-1833' by Professor Frank James DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: Crown copyright\, photograph by Frank James \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. \nIn early March 1823\, laboratory assistant Michael Faraday\, at the Royal Institution\, unintentionally subjected chlorine to a very high pressure and\, much to his surprise\, found that it turned into a liquid – the first time that a gas had been liquefied. \nAside from the scientific achievement\, very quickly this phenomenon came to be seen as having the potential to be a new source of power. Steam-power was not necessarily seen as inevitably replacing wind or water-power. This is illustrated by the large amount of effort devoted by savants\, including Faraday and Davy\, during the 1820s to exploit gas liquefaction practically in what was termed the ‘gaz engine’. Furthermore\, the engineers Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Brunel also devoted considerable effort to render gaz engines feasible. The Admiralty\, then beginning to use steam-powered vessels\, was also very interested in gaz engines and provided limited support for later stages of the research. \nFollowing repeated failures to develop a practical engine\, at the start of the 1830s work ceased on the project. In modern terms\, what was being attempted of course was to obtain more energy from a gaz engine than was required to liquefy the gas in the first place\, that is a form of perpetual motion. Once the laws of thermodynamics had been formulated during the 1840s\, the pursuit of such a source of power was seen as clearly impossible. Before then it was not clear\, even to leading savants and engineers\, that what they were doing was seeking to build a perpetual motion machine. \nThe story illustrates just how invisible perpetual motion could be. \nAbout the Speaker\nProfessor Frank James\, a former President of the Newcomen Society\, is Professor of the History of Science at University College London. His main research centres on the physical sciences in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and how they relate to other areas of society and culture\, for example art\, literature\, business\, media\, religion\, engineering and the military. \nFrank edited the Correspondence of Michael Faraday\, published in six volumes between 1991 and 2012\, served as an advisory editor for the four volume Collected Letters of Humphry Davy (2020) and was a Co-I on the AHRC funded Humphry Davy Notebooks Project. His Michael Faraday: A Very Short Introduction was published in 2010 by OUP who the following year also published his sesquicentenary edition of Faraday’s Chemical History of a Candle. \nHis current research concentrates on writing and researching a biographical study of Humphry Davy focussing on his practical work including nitrous oxide\, agricultural chemistry\, mineralogy\, the miners’ safety lamp\, analysis of ancient Roman pigments and his attempts to unroll chemically the papyri excavated from Herculaneum. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/better-than-steam-davy-faraday-the-brunels-the-gaz-engine-1823-1833-by-professor-frank-james/ 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/2026/08/26-11-18_BetterThanSteamDavyFaradayBrunelsGazEngine_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261027T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261027T200000 DTSTAMP:20260907T134258Z CREATED:20260902T103728Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260907T134258Z UID:16968-1793125800-1793131200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Springfields Nuclear Fuel Site - 80 years of Atomic Achievement' by Fergus Munro DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: Ian S\, Westinghouse Factory (BNF) on Deepdale Lane \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome. \nSpringfields\, near Preston\, is celebrating its 80th birthday since its establishment in 1946 as the UK’s production site for uranium fuel. It is the oldest manufacturer of commercial nuclear fuel in the world. \nThis talk explains the origin of the site in World War II as a munitions factory and tracks its evolution through the atomic age\, alongside the UK’s nuclear programmes\, from its role in the UK’s nuclear deterrent to source of over 20% of the UK’s electricity supply. \nAt a time when energy security and fighting climate change are valued\, Springfields is well placed for fuelling the future. \nAbout the Speaker\nFergus Munro joined British Nuclear Fuels at Springfields in 1986 after completing a maths degree at the University of Strathclyde. \nHis career spanned from technical and operations positions at Springfields to spending 12 years at the company head office near Warrington\, working on Sellafield related spent fuel reprocessing and plutonium fuels contracts\, before returning home to Springfields in 2006. \nNostalgic at heart\, leading up to his 2018 retirement\, he presented a historical review of the origin and early life of Springfields Works to employees and this interest continued and expanded to broader nuclear history over the last 8 years. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-springfields-nuclear-fuel-site-80-years-of-atomic-achievement-by-fergus-munro/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\,\, Manchester\, M1 5BY CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/26-10-27_SpringfieldsNuclearFuelSite_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261026T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261026T201500 DTSTAMP:20260925T103232Z CREATED:20260902T114356Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T103232Z UID:16953-1793039400-1793045700@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Joseph Bramah (1748/9 - 1814)' by Tim Brown DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons (US public domain tag) \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ON-Line – click this zoom link \nDETAILS TO FOLLOW \nAbout the Speaker\nDETAILS TO FOLLOW URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/joseph-bramah-1748-9-18114-by-tim-brown/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria\, Victoria Station Road\, Sheffield\, South Yorkshire\, S4 7YE CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/26-10-26_JosephBramah_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T193000 DTSTAMP:20260820T103940Z CREATED:20260820T103257Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T103940Z UID:16933-1792000800-1792006200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'An Extraordinary 250 Years of Waterpower at the Strutts’ Belper Mills' by Ian Jackson DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: Reproduced with permission of Jim Bell \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. \nFamed for its innovative ‘fire-proof’ iron-framed cotton mill\, the Belper Mill complex in Derbyshire also incorporated innovative developments in waterpower. \nWilliam Strutt’s improvements of the waterwheel\, waterpower control and management of the River Derwent\, enabled the mass manufacturing of textile thread at the complex\, which today sits at the heart of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Recent\, award-winning research has uncovered examples of responsible stewardship of the rivers by Georgian proprietors of the mills along Britain’s waterways\, including the management of floods and distribution of salmon.\n \nThe use of water to generate hydroelectric power\, c.1900\, encouraged the new owners of the Belper Mills\, the Lancashire based English Sewing Cotton Company\, to invest in their Derbyshire Derwent Valley businesses. Whilst most industrial sites on the Derwent stopped producing hydroelectric power in the mid-20th century\, choosing instead to connect to the coal-fired national grid\, the Belper site continued to invest in new hydro turbines. \nThe 18th century weir\, mill leats and wheel pits are still in use today (harnessing the power of the river\, almost continuously\, for 250 years)\, supplying the national grid with renewable energy.\n \nOther sites across Britain offer similar opportunities\, not only to generate renewable energy\, but with reinstatement of floodgates and sluices\, to improve our stewardship of our waterways. \nAbout the Speaker\nIan Jackson is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer who has worked in multinational manufacturing businesses for 35 years\, latterly as an independent ESOS Lead Assessor\, and now as a waterpower researcher.\n \nIn 2012\, he set up Amber and Derwent Valley Community Energy to try to reinstate Hydroelectric Power (HEP) at a former industrial site\, at the heart of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. In 2014\, it was a feasible project but changes in government support and EA requirements halted the project in 2018.\n \nLiving in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and trying to identify HEP opportunities\, led to his research into the historic use of waterpower\, the primary energy source for the early industrial revolution. Seeing the untapped HEP resource in the valley\, and his role on the strategy board of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site\, led to an approach to the University of Nottingham. \nIan started a full time PhD in 2020\, titled ‘Climate Change mitigation: Learning from the past to unlock the hydropower potential of the Derbyshire Derwent catchment’\, graduating in July 2025. The award-winning thesis (Association for Industrial Archaeology dissertation award) is available for download on the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/an-extraordinary-250-years-of-waterpower-at-the-strutts-belper-mills-by-ian-jackson/ 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/2026/08/26-10-14_WaterPowerAtTheStruttsBelperMills_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T200000 DTSTAMP:20260907T132943Z CREATED:20260902T102727Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260907T132943Z UID:16966-1790101800-1790107200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'John Smeaton 1724-1792: The Making of an Engineering Genius' by Dr. Julia Elton\, FSA DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: Magnus Manske\, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome. \nJohn Smeaton was the founder of the British engineering profession\, conferring upon a hitherto disparate group of practitioners an identity and a status which has lasted to this day. \nHis career covered an extraordinarily wide range of projects\, greater than any of his contemporaries\, and included lighthouses\, canals and river training\, docks and harbours\, fen drainage and bridge building. In all these fields he advanced the understanding of technical issues\, moving towards improved manufacturing skills\, well thought-out project management and economy of materials. These remain necessary attributes for engineers today. \nUniquely\, Smeaton was also an engineering scientist of great distinction and his work had a practical application\, leading to considerable improvements in the efficiency of machines. \nThis lecture considers the reasons for his pre-eminence and highlights some of his achievements. \nAbout the Speaker\nJulia Elton has spent a lifetime immersed in the literature of engineering and the images of the industrial revolution first as an antiquarian bookdealer and later as an independent engineering historian writing and lecturing widely on all aspects of this endlessly fascinating subject. She contributed a number of entries on gas and lighthouse engineers to the Institution of Civil Engineer’s Biographical Dictionary. \nJulia recently gained a PhD in the history of lighthouse illumination. She is a Past President of the Newcomen Society. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/john-smeaton-1724-1792-the-making-of-an-engineering-genius-by-dr-julia-elton-fsa/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\,\, Manchester\, M1 5BY CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/26-09-22_JohnSmeaton_EngineeringGenius_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260711T103000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260711T153000 DTSTAMP:20260518T161956Z CREATED:20260518T161803Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T161956Z UID:16910-1783765800-1783783800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Industry and Innovation in Oxford' DESCRIPTION:An in-person only event – tickets available via Eventbrite \nLunch included: Members £25\, Non-members £30\, Students £15 \nThis day of talks delves into some of the fascinating technical and engineering history of Oxford and its region: \n\nDetroit-on-Thames: the origins of car making in Oxford and the rise of the Cowley factory (Maurice East)\nCombe Mill: a workshop for the Blenheim Estate (Richard Stone)\nMechanicks in the universitie: how engineering came to Oxford (Richard Darton)\nA brief history of printing in Oxfordshire (Richard Lawrence)\nAllen’s of Oxford: from steam ploughs to motor mowers (Jonathan Brown)\nWatermills of the Oxfordshire Thames (Brian Eade) URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/industry-and-innovation-in-oxford/ LOCATION:OXFORD Thom Building\, University of Oxford\, Parks Road\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 3PJ\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:UK - Newcomen ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26-07-11_IndustryInnovationInOxford_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen (UK)":MAILTO:colin.axon@brunel.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260513T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260513T193000 DTSTAMP:20260428T131342Z 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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260427T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260427T200000 DTSTAMP:20260222T083508Z 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:20260415T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260415T193000 DTSTAMP:20250922T091014Z 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:20260401T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260401T210000 DTSTAMP:20260330T083638Z CREATED:20260330T083638Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T083638Z UID:16861-1775070000-1775077200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'150 Years of the Telephone' DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: United States patents (in public domain) \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register \nThis is a joint event with Thinktank\, Birmingham Science Museum \nOn 10 March 1876\, 150 years ago\, Alexander Graham Bell made what is usually considered to be the first telephone call\, when he spoke the words “Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you” into his experimental apparatus.\n \nTo mark this anniversary\, Newcomen Midlands\, in a change to the usual format of our meetings\, will be showing two videos produced by the Connections Musem in Seattle\, USA\, that describe how Bell submitted his patent\, and how his first transmitter (microphone) and receiver (earpiece) worked. \nThe films show the museum’s attempts to make a working replica of his original apparatus. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/150-years-of-the-telephone/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/26-04-01_150YearsOfTheTelephone_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260323T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260323T200000 DTSTAMP:20260128T150440Z 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:20260317T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260317T200000 DTSTAMP:20251010T105721Z CREATED:20251009T103617Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251010T105721Z UID:16631-1773772200-1773777600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Ingenious Women' by Deborah Jaffé DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Deborah Jaffé \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome. \nSince Amye Everard Ball became the first woman to be granted an English patent in 1637\, hundreds have been awarded to women but rarely cited. These overlooked women navigated legislation and social assumption of their times\, to ensure their patents were registered as their own. Referring to themselves as housewives\, widows\, inventors\, scientists\, nurses\, electricians and engineers\, their patents were wide ranging including for industrial machinery\, dishwashers\, lifesaving equipment\, safety devices for train travel\, underwear for bicycle riding\, stab proof vests\, and the teaching of geometry. \nHistorically\, women played important roles in scientific and technological development and innovation\, as well as in running companies or fighting in the courts for ownership of their intellectual property. Inevitably\, some of the patents have been surpassed by further improvements and developments\, but they illustrate great ingenuity and thought. \nThis lecture will take some key characters and their patents to show their ingenuity. \nAbout the Speaker\nDeborah Jaffé is a cultural historian and author of eight books including Ingenious Women\, from tincture of saffron to flying machines (Sutton 2003) and The History of Toys (Sutton (2006); and coeditor with Dr Stephen Wilson of Memories of the Future (Peter Lang 2019). \nDeborah was the editor of Newcomen Links for 10 years and a member of the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood Trustees’ Committee; and has lectured widely on women and innovation\, the history of toys and her current research on refugee related subjects. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/ingenious-women-by-deborah-jaffe/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\,\, Manchester\, M1 5BY CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/26-03-17_IngeniousWomen_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260311T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260311T193000 DTSTAMP:20250922T090837Z 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:20260304T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260304T210000 DTSTAMP:20260303T091016Z CREATED:20260302T154257Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260303T091016Z UID:16817-1772650800-1772658000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Housing the Great Exhibition in 1851' by Dr. Jim Andrew DESCRIPTION:Image Credit: The Original Crystal Palace in Hyde Park – Painted for H. R. H. Prince Albert by Messrs Nash\, Haghe & Roberts R.A. \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ONLINE – click on this zoom link before the event to join in \nThis is a joint event with Thinktank\, Birmingham Science Museum \nThe Great Exhibition planned for the summer of 1851 was languishing in a committee until\, in June 1850\, Joseph Paxton was asked for a design of a building to go in Hyde Park\, London. \nThe temporary building was possibly the largest single constructed building anywhere in the World\, yet it was designed within a month and opened in ten months. \nAbout the Speaker\nDr Jim Andrew is a former museum manager at Birmingham Science Museum\, and is currently Chairman of Newcomen Midlands. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/housing-the-great-exhibition-in-1851-by-dr-jim-andrew/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/26-03-04_HousingTheGreatExhibitionin1851-V3_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260225T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260225T180000 DTSTAMP:20250901T091034Z CREATED:20250826T140342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250901T091034Z UID:16501-1772038800-1772042400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Newcomen Society Annual General Meeting' DESCRIPTION:This is an online meeting only open to all Newcomen members. Click on this zoom link to join. \nAnnual General Meeting for Newcomen Society members only. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/newcomen-society-annual-general-meeting/ CATEGORIES:All Regions,Shed Talks (Newcomen Online) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Newcomen_Logo_Colour_1080x608-v2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260224T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260224T200000 DTSTAMP:20260128T102131Z CREATED:20251009T102934Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T102131Z UID:16629-1771957800-1771963200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Evolution of Railway Attitudes to Safety and Risk' by Ivor Lewis DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Australian government licensed under Creative Commons \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome. \nThe talk considers and contrasts the public and company changes in attitudes to safety and risk of injury from Railway travel\, starting with the early plateway and tramway period. The changes in attitude when main line railways arrived in 1830 through to the end of the 19th century are analysed. It reviews how safety for the public and employees of railways evolved as society’s perception and acceptance of risk and injury changed. As railways developed\, how did those managing and checking railways react? How did rail companies\, writers\, literature\, newspapers government and society influencers respond? It will not re-cover ground already described in popular texts on railway accidents but will indicate where experience\, company management and popular literature influenced safety on the railways. The way the government’s railway acts and the railway inspectorate responded is outlined. \nIt takes a generic rather than a detailed technological approach and suggests subjects requiring further study. \nThis talk was first given in a shorter form at the Early Railways 8 Conference in Sept 2025. \nAbout the Speaker\nIvor Lewis is a member of the Manchester Branch of Newcomen and a former computer hardware and software engineer and IT consultant. He studied Physics at London University but spent his working life in Computer and IT engineering. His longstanding interest in the history of railways and particularly railway mechanical engineering evolved into a wider interest in all forms of engineering history. \nIvor is a member of several railway and line societies and has volunteered at the National Railway Museum behind the scenes on railway archives. He is a past Chairman of the Historical Model Railway Society and has spoken at three of the Early Railway conferences.  \nIvor is married with two grown up children and two grandchildren and lives near Crewe in Cheshire. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-evolution-of-railway-attitudes-to-safety-and-risk-by-ivor-lewis/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER The Friends Meeting House\, 6 Mount St\, Manchester\, M2 5NS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/26-02-24_EvolutionofRailwayAttitudestoSafetyandRisk_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260223T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260223T200000 DTSTAMP:20260128T152803Z CREATED:20260128T152803Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T152803Z UID:16758-1771871400-1771876800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Building the Shadow Factories' by Jonathan Aylen DESCRIPTION:Joining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ON-LINE – click this zoom link (Passcode 888336) \nBritain’s military effort during World War 2 required a massive investment in manufacturing. Government-funded “Shadow factories” and “Agency Factories” were a key part of this huge capacity expansion.  The Government spent at least a quarter of a billion pounds at the time on new buildings\, new machinery and training\, often in locations far away from conventional manufacturing centres\, on factories run by 175 private firms.  These factories brought new technology and new production processes\, thereby accelerating the pace of wartime innovation. \nYet these new factories are themselves in the shadows.  Shadow factories are typically equated with new sites for building aircraft\, such as Yeadon in Yorkshire.  But shadow factory schemes spread much more widely across industry\, covering hidden sectors such as chemical warfare\, oil refining and ordnance manufacture\, as well as more obvious sectors such as aircraft components and aeroengines. \nThere is very little research on the selection\, design\, procurement and operation of these factories. Here we look at the broad shadow factory scheme\, using archive sources\, and then examine a factory for forging aircraft parts built in 1940 on a remote greenfield site at Distington\, Cumberland\, employing 3\,000 workers.  This was developed by a private firm\, High Duty Alloys\, on behalf of the Government. \nAbout the Speaker\nJonathan Aylen is an academic researcher who now specialises in the history of technology. He has written on the development of computer guidance systems for Cold War missiles\, the development of the first British atomic bomb and on computer control in the steel industry. His approach is to integrate oral history with unorthodox archive sources. Jonathan’s first exposure to computing was writing FORTRAN programmes for an ICL mainframe to support his research in economics. \nJonathan is a recent past President of the Newcomen society for the History of Engineering and Technology and his research output across a range of disciplines can be found here. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/building-the-shadow-factories-by-jonathan-aylen/ 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/2026/01/26-02-23_BuildingtheShadowFactories_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260211T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260211T193000 DTSTAMP:20250922T090709Z CREATED:20250915T144057Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T090709Z UID:16537-1770832800-1770838200@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Mercenary River' by Nick Higham 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. \nToday we take water for granted. Turn a tap and the stuff gushes out. But for centuries London struggled to supply its citizens with reliable\, clean drinking water. \nNick Higham tells the story of London’s water from the Tudor era to the 20th century. It’s a tale of remarkable technological\, scientific and organisational breakthroughs\, but also one of greed and complacency\, high finance and low politics. London’s 19th century water companies operated a cartel which worked in their interests\, not their customers’. The water they supplied was overpriced\, deficient in quantity and frequently filthy – described by one scientist as “diluted sewage”. It took the best part of a century of campaigning to bring the water companies to heel. \nAbout the Speaker\nNick Higham is a writer and former journalist who is passionate about history. His first book\, The Mercenary River\, a history of London’s water supply\, was published to excellent reviews in 2022: The Telegraph gave it five stars\, The Mail called it “fascinating”\, Andrew Marr found it “original and gripping”. The book has made a timely contribution to the current debate about Britain’s water industry and the scandal of untreated sewage discharges\, and has been praised by figures as diverse as the campaigner Feargal Sharkey and the chairman of Thames Water. \nHis second book\, Mavericks: Empire\, Oil\, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War One\, is published by Bloomsbury in October 2025. \nNick spent nearly 30 years as a BBC correspondent\, whenever possible smuggling history onto the airwaves in the guise of news. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-mercenary-river-by-nick-higham/ 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/2025/09/26-02-11_TheMercenaryRiver1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260204T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260204T210000 DTSTAMP:20260203T162607Z CREATED:20260203T092926Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T162607Z UID:16770-1770231600-1770238800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Before Valves: The Amazing Ingenuity of the "Electricians" before the Thermionic Valve' by Dr John Moyle DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Wellcome Collection (1911 – Copyright free) \n\nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ONLINE – click on this zoom link before the event to join in \n\n\n\nThis is a joint event with Thinktank\, Birmingham Science Museum \n\nMan’s ingenuity before the invention of the thermionic valve was amazing! \nThis lecture will summarize the early methods of wireless transmission and reception & amplification. \nAbout the Speaker\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/before-valves-the-amazing-ingenuity-of-the-electricians-before-the-thermionic-valve-by-dr-john-moyle/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/26-02-04_BeforeValves_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260127T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260127T200000 DTSTAMP:20251217T111400Z CREATED:20251009T102213Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T111400Z UID:16623-1769538600-1769544000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Building for the Atomic Age' by Wayne Cocroft DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: UK government agencies\, OGL 3\, via Wikimedia Commons \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome \nPost-war\, Britain embarked on ambitious projects to generate energy from the atom. The places associated with these ventures\, secured by high fences\, became symbols of a new industrial age. For some Aldermaston\, Dounreay\, Harwell\, Windscale\, and Winfrith were locations where science fiction became reality\, while others viewed them as home to some ‘unmentionable devilment’. \nA distinguishing\, and perhaps surprising\, feature of the power programmes was the obligation in the 1957 Electricity Act to consider the effect of the new stations on the visual amenity of an area\, resulting in a blending of technology\, architecture and landscape. Today\, these relics of late 20th century science and industry are being decommissioned and largely erased from the landscape. \nThis lecture will explore the industrial archaeology of Britain’s ‘atomic age’\, its technologies and the impact they have had on the built environment and landscapes of this country. \nAbout the Speaker\nWayne Cocroft has recently retired as a Senior Archaeological Investigator with Historic England. For over 30 years\, he has specialised in the investigation and assessment of recent defence and industrial sites. \nWayne has written extensively on these topics including on the gunpowder and explosives industry\, the home front during the First World War\, Cold War installations\, signals intelligence in West Berlin and most recently Building for the Atomic Age An industrial archaeology of the United Kingdom’s nuclear industry. \nHe is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/building-for-the-atomic-age-by-wayne-cocroft/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER The Friends Meeting House\, 6 Mount St\, Manchester\, M2 5NS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/26-01-27_BuildingForTheAtomicAge_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260124T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260124T170000 DTSTAMP:20260119T101557Z CREATED:20251209T160939Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T101557Z UID:16700-1769252400-1769274000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Locomotive Galleries at Armley Mills Museum' by Michael Bailey & John McGoldrick DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Chris Allen \nIn Person – Seminar\, buffet lunch and tour of Locomotive Gallery – to book tickets: click here \nOn-line – Seminar only – to book tickets: click here \nDetails of how to find Armley Mills Museum and other details can be found here \nAs we are limited to 60 in-person attendees\, booking is essential and tickets cost £16 (inclusive of a £1 booking fee charged by Ticket Source)\, which includes Museum entry to the Seminar\, the Buffet Lunch\, and the tour of the Railway Galleries. \nThis is a joint meeting with the Industrial History Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society \nThe Locomotive Galleries at Armley Mills Museum have been closed since catastrophic flooding in December 2015.  A major flood prevention scheme\, which included a flood wall around the Museum site and the rebuilding of the gallery wall adjacent to the River Aire\, has now been completed\, and the galleries will reopen to the public in 2026. \nThis meeting is an opportunity to view the newly completed gallery and to hear about the major locomotive industry in Leeds and the important railway collection held by the Museum. \nProgramme \n11:00 am Assemble\, coffee\, and welcome \n11:30 am Michael Bailey –  The Leeds Locomotive Building Industry in the 19th Century \n12:30 pm John McGoldrick – The Leeds Railway Collection \n1:30 pm – Buffet Lunch \n2:15 pm – Group 1: Accompanied tour of the new locomotive gallery \n2:15 pm – Group 2: Opportunity to explore artefacts from the Leeds Museum Railway Collection \n3:15 pm – Groups swap over \n4:15 pm to museum close at 5:00 pm\, opportunity to explore the museum collection \nAbout the Speakers\nDr. Michael Bailey is the President of the Stephenson Locomotive Society and a Past-President of the Newcomen Society. He has undertaken considerable work on the archaeology of early steam locomotives and has written extensively about early locomotive design and manufacturing progress during the 19th century. \nJohn McGoldrick is Curator of Industrial History at Leeds Industrial Museum\, constantly seeking news ways of getting people excited about history and collections (LinkedIn). URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-locomotive-galleries-at-armley-mills-museum-by-michael-bailey-john-mcgoldrick/ LOCATION:SHEFFIELD Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills\, Canal Rd\, Armley\, Leeds\, West Yorkshire\, LS12 2QF\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - South Yorkshire Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/26-01-24_TheLocomotiveGalleriesatArmleyMillsMuseum_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260114T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260114T193000 DTSTAMP:20250922T090546Z CREATED:20250915T142342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T090546Z UID:16532-1768413600-1768419000@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Art of Engineering' by Laurence Scales 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 Royal Society of Arts began life as the Society for the Encouragement of Arts\, Manufactures and Commerce rewarding\, among other things\, inventions and improvements relating to mechanics\, manufactures and chemistry. \nThis lecture introduces the first century of the Society\, then passes by way of some history of engineering drawing and drawing instruments to feature some of the professional draughtsmen used by the Society. Along the way\, the lecture exhibits a selection of drawings from the archive. \nAbout the Speaker\nLaurence Scales has a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering\, and subsequently worked for Lloyds Register of Shipping\, offshore engineering contractor Brown & Root\, and defence electronics manufacturer Thales. Latterly he has been an archive volunteer at both the Royal Institution of Great Britain and the Royal Society of Arts. \nLaurence devises and leads London tours themed around the history of science\, technology and medicine. His customers have included Imperial College\, King’s College London\, Purdue University\, Ove Arup & Associates\, and the FBI. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-art-of-engineering-by-laurence-scales/ 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/2025/09/26-01-14_TheArtOfEngineering_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260107T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260107T210000 DTSTAMP:20260102T150342Z CREATED:20260102T095533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260102T150342Z UID:16730-1767812400-1767819600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'A short version of the long history of automation on the railways' by Felix Schmid DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Benutzer:Bukk \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ONLINE – click on this zoom link before the event to join in \nThis is a joint event with Thinktank\, Birmingham Science Museum \nThis lecture was originally given as the Presidential Address to the Newcomen Society in London in 2025. \nThe presentation will commence by introducing very early mechanical systems\, including some that were used on waggonways 300 years ago. These were quite primitive but reduced the labour requirement\, e.g. by automating passing loops on tramways. \nThe automatic systems that came about in response to the Regulation of Railways Act 1889\, which made the railway much safer and also improved its economy\, will be discussed\, followed by the origins of the train stop and warning systems that came into operation in the early 20th century. The electronic safety and operational management systems instigated by computerisation\, where British Rail had a leading role\, will be reviewed. \nThe presentation will finish with some reflections on fully automated railways and the role of machine learning and what is often termed artificial intelligence. Throughout the talk\, the speaker will comment on the importance of including human skill and perception in automated systems for the railway. \nAbout the Speaker\nFelix Schmid is an Emeritus Professor of Railway Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham and\, currently\, serves as the President of the Newcomen Society. \nHe has had a long-standing interest in railway systems and\, more particularly\, the automation of activities necessary for the safe and efficient operation of railways. Some automated systems support the work of people\, others are carrying out tasks without regular interactions with humans. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/a-short-version-of-the-long-history-of-automation-on-the-railways-by-felix-schmid/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26-01-07_AutomationOfTheRailways_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251216T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251216T193000 DTSTAMP:20250901T090930Z CREATED:20250811T150156Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250901T090930Z UID:16483-1765908000-1765913400@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The Wright Brothers’ Last Laugh - The World's Return to Unstable Flight' by Dr Fred Starr 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. \nWith their background in design and construction as bicycle mechanics\, The Wright Brothers set out to build a flying machine. Nevertheless\, success took half a decade of experimental engineering & even the Wrights themselves didn’t think much of their world renowned flight on 17th December 1903. On that day\, they were lucky but they were only halfway there. Proper flying did not come until 1905. \nThe Wrights were not enthusiastic amateurs. As genuine engineers\, they read the literature before starting work. An early insight\, coming from bicycle design\, was that aircraft not only had to be controlled\, but a degree of instability was useful. The lecture will review what they did and summarise the Wrights’ other engineering achievements. \nIn the decades that followed\, the unstable aircraft was considered an idiotic concept. Today\, however\, advanced fighters and even some commercial aircraft have adopted the Wrights’ approach. Instability gives better manoeuvrability\, lower aircraft weight\, and reduced fuel consumption. But there are dangers. \nAbout the Speaker\nDr Fred Starr graduated as a metallurgist from Battersea College (now the University of Surrey) in 1966. He joined British Gas\, London Research Station\, in Fulham\, where he remained for 30 years\, moving from failure investigation\, to leading the company’s research on high temperature materials.\nHowever\, the last ten years of Fred’s working life were geared towards energy conversion\, principally with British Gas and the European Commission. This included Stirling engines\, gas turbines and steam plant. It was a switch made possible by an amateur with a deep interest in the design of aircraft and aircraft engines\, especially their history. In this respect\, Fred’s one regret in life\, is not knowing that the Newcomen Society used to meet at the Science Museum\, just up the road from where he worked. \nFormally “retiring” in 2007\, Fred became an active member of the Newcomen Society. He got the Society to put on conferences on The Piston Engine Revolution (the development of the IC engine) and Swords into Ploughshares (how WWI transformed British Engineering). Fred has also published a three part paper in the Newcomen Journal on the development of materials for IC engine poppet valves. \nHe has also set up his own website\, fredstarr.com\, that has sections on industrial history. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/the-wright-brothers-last-laugh-the-worlds-return-to-unstable-flight-by-dr-fred-starr/ 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/2025/08/25-12-16_TheWrightBrothersLastLaugh_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - London Branch":MAILTO:office@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251215T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251215T200000 DTSTAMP:20251208T162059Z CREATED:20250922T103222Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251208T162059Z UID:16573-1765825200-1765828800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Conservation Engineering – Repairs to the Camellia House at Wentworth Woodhouse & Keppel’s Column' by Gez Pegram DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Andrewrabbott licensed under Creative Commons \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us on-line – Zoom ID: 860 9791 5034 \nThis is a joint meeting with the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society \nThis presentation will outline the restoration work undertaken at Wentworth Woodhouse and Keppel’s Column. \nThe £5 million restoration of Wentworth Woodhouse’s Camellia House involved repairing structural elements\, reinstating its glazed roof\, and incorporating modern energy-efficient technologies like ground-source heat pumps and underfloor heating. The project successfully transformed the derelict Grade II listed building into a tea house and event venue\, preserving the historic camellia plants while integrating contemporary design. \nKeppel’s Column in Rotherham was the subject of a major restoration project completed in 2022\, which addressed severe structural issues including cracking and stonework erosion\, and replaced the deteriorating internal staircase. The column was stabilized using a series of vertical and horizontal ties The severely broken internal staircase\, which had been a major structural issue\, was replaced with new metal treads that tie the inner and outer brick shafts together.  The missing rotating roof covering was reinstated to protect the column and its shaft\, and the metal railings on the cap were replaced to replicate original components. \nAbout the Speaker\nGez Pegram URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/conservation-engineering-repairs-to-the-camelia-house-at-wentworth-woodhouse-keppels-column-by-gez-pegram/ 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/2025/09/25-12-15_ConservationEngineering_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - South Yorkshire Branch":MAILTO:meetings.syorks@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251203T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251203T210000 DTSTAMP:20251126T103736Z CREATED:20251124T120226Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251126T103736Z UID:16682-1764788400-1764795600@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'The History of Measurement of Oxygen in Medicine' by Dr. John Moyle DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: Uusi Ajaja Creative Commons \nJoining us IN PERSON – just turn up\, there’s no need to register\nJoining us ONLINE – click on this zoom link before the event to join in \nThis is a joint event with Thinktank\, Birmingham Science Museum \nOf the gases involved in life\, oxygen is the most important!\n \nThis lecture relates the history of measurement of oxygen in medicine\, as a gas\, in solution in bodily fluids and on haemoglobin; from the Haldane apparatus to Pulse Oximetry. \nAs a gas: \n\nHaldane\nParamagnetic\n(Raman spectroscopy)*\n(Mass spectroscopy)*\nAcoustic\nFuel Cell\n\nDissolved in Plama: \n\nClark electrode\n\nAttached to Haemoglobin: \n\nNon-invasive “Oximetry”\nPulse Oximetry\n\n*Research only \nAbout the Speaker\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/the-history-of-measurement-of-oxygen-in-medicine-by-dr-john-moyle/ LOCATION:BIRMINGHAM Think Tank\, Birmingham Science Museum\,\, Curzon Street\, Birmingham\, West Midlands\, B4 7XG CATEGORIES:Shed Talks (Newcomen Online),UK - Midlands Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/25-12-03_HistoryofMeasurementofOxygeninMedicine_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - Midland Branch":MAILTO:midlands@newcomen.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251125T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251125T200000 DTSTAMP:20251006T084638Z CREATED:20250929T102909Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T084638Z UID:16606-1764095400-1764100800@www.newcomen.com SUMMARY:'Radical adoption of computer technology at Llanwern steelworks\, South Wales – an object lesson for AI' by Jonathan Aylen DESCRIPTION:Photo Credit: AI Generated by Random Group Ltd \nAn in-person only event. No need to sign up\, just come along – all are welcome. \nThis is a joint meeting with the Computer Conservation Society. \nWhy do some automation projects succeed\, while others fail? More broadly\, how do organisations shape new technology – for good or ill? Why are some automation schemes supported and some resisted\, subverted and discarded? \nHere we document one historical example. Expect many photos of solid engineering\, beehive hairdos and a walk-on part for Steven Spielberg’s dad. \nTwo pioneering applications of computers at Llanwern steelworks allow us to compare simultaneous adoption of parallel automation schemes. One succeeded\, one failed. The two automation systems were implemented by the same team in the same location for use by the same workforce. Natural experiments such as this are one way to test theory. \nBy way of explanation we focus on a distinction between “physical technologies” and “social technologies”. The distinction is captured by innovation scholar Dick Nelson’s metaphor of The Moon and the Ghetto. Moonshots required technical solutions. The ghetto was an intractable\, multi-dimensional wicked problem. Our experiment suggests it is harder to develop organisational routines for “social technologies” than for “physical technologies”. \nThe application of a GE 412 to process control of the new wide hot strip mill at Llanwern steelworks in the mid-1960’s in South Wales was precisely specified\, technically successful and imitated worldwide. This essentially technical implementation was a “physical technology”. Use of three Elliott 803 computers for managerial tasks of information handling and order scheduling for the same mill was problematic. These management computers were essentially a “social technology.” Computers were far more readily integrated into routines for physical control of a rolling mill\, than into the managerial task of scheduling. The research draws on interviews with those who participated in the schemes and private archive sources such as the surviving software. \nAbout the Speaker\nJonathan Aylen is an academic researcher who now specialises in the history of technology. He has written on the development of computer guidance systems for Cold War missiles\, the development of the first British atomic bomb and on computer control in the steel industry. His approach is to integrate oral history with unorthodox archive sources. Jonathan’s first exposure to computing was writing FORTRAN programmes for an ICL mainframe to support his research in economics. \nJonathan is a recent past President of the Newcomen society for the History of Engineering and Technology and his research output across a range of disciplines can be found here. URL:https://www.newcomen.com/activity/radical-adoption-of-computer-technology-at-llanwern-steelworks-south-wales-an-object-lesson-for-ai-by-jonathan-aylen/ LOCATION:MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation\, Engine House\, Chorlton Mill\, 3 Cambridge Street\,\, Manchester\, M1 5BY CATEGORIES:UK - North Western Branch ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newcomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/25-11-25_ComputerTechnologyAtLlanwernSteelworks_1920x1280.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Newcomen - North Western Branch":MAILTO:catherine.casson@manchester.ac.uk END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR