'Women of Steel' by Michelle Rawlins (with the SMEA & SYIHS)
2022-03-15 17:30 - 19:00 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria, Victoria Station Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S4 7YE
A joint meeting with the Sheffield Metallurgical & Engineering Association (SMEA) and the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society (SYIHS) presented by Michelle Rawlins
The Annual Barraclough Lecture
A talk about some of the formidable women who worked in the Sheffield steel industry during World War Two.
SMEA website
SYIHS website
About the Speaker
Michelle Rawlins is a freelance journalist and author who also teaches at the University of Sheffield
About the Venue
Crown Plaza Royal Victoria, Sheffield
This is an in-person and webcast (Zoom) meeting.
As previously the meeting will start at 5:30 pm and tea and coffee will be available from 6:00 pm and we look forward to welcoming you to what we hope will be an interesting series of talks and discussions.
For those of you who are uncertain about attending in-person meetings at present, we are also pleased to announce that a majority of this year’s programme of talks will also be available as a live webcast.

'Crossrail' by Christian Wolmar
2022-03-17 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
An in-person meeting presented by Christian Woolmar
About the Speaker
Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster specialising in transport. He frequently appears on TV and radio talking about current issues, notably about the railways.
www.christianwolmar.co.uk

How Alloy Steels came to serve the Engineer (followed by branch AGM)
2022-03-21 18:30 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
An In Person & Online Presentation by Dr. Peter Morgan
This meeting will be followed by the Branch Annual General Meeting
World production of alloy steels increased rapidly from the 1890’s, reaching 3.85% of world steel production in 1920. This expansion resulted mainly from the mechanisation of warfare and the demands of the 1st World War. It was was based on foundations built in the 19th Century and these are explored in this lecture.
By 1800, many of the major alloying elements used in steelmaking had been identified and some were becoming available, through the work mainly of geologists and analytical chemists. Alliances of scientists, steelmakers and steel users began to look at their potential.
At this time the primary use of steel in industry was for the essential operation of cutting. Crucible steelmaking allowed production of a reliable high hardness carbon steel in small sections, albeit only of limited toughness and ductility and with poor tempering resistance. From 1820 onwards the work of people across many disciplines, including Faraday, Fischer, Sorby, R.F. Mushet, and Hadfield, provided new steels and understanding of the fundamental processes governing their treatment and behaviour.
With parallel developments in steelmaking technology allowing bulk production of alloy steels, larger high strength components could be made. They contributed to new industries requiring steels with specific properties such as resistance to wear, corrosion resistance and strength at elevated temperatures. These included electrotechnology, chemicals manufacture and the production of high performance internal combustion engines.
About the Venue
An in-person and webcast (zoom) meeting.
As previously the meeting will start at 6:30 pm and tea and coffee will be available from 6:00 pm and we look forward to welcoming you to what we hope will be an interesting series of talks and discussions.
For those of you who are uncertain about attending in-person meetings at present, we are also pleased to announce that all this year’s programme of talks will also be available as a live webcast.
Kelham Island Museum has advised that although no social distancing restrictions will be in place for the meeting, we will need to keep a detailed register of attendees. To assist with this and to gauge demand for the in-person talk it would be very helpful if you could let us know if you wish to join us using the Eventbrite link below. Similarly, if you would like to join us online please book using the Eventbrite link below. We are very happy if you wish to “hedge your bets” and book for both the in-person and online talks at this stage and make a final decision nearer the time.
A group of members and guests will be meeting for a pre-talk meal and if you wish to join us please let me know so that I can advise them of the probable numbers.
All Newcomen evening meetings are free and open to all and if you are aware of any non-members who may be interested in this talk please feel free to forward this email to them.
Please Note:- The parking arrangements at the Museum have changed and the car park between the Museum and the river is now closed and is being used by the Museum Cafe and Bar as an outdoor seating area. Details of the new parking arrangements can be found at www.simt.co.uk/kelham-island-museum/plan-your-visit
Sign Up For This Event Here

'Float Glass Development and Process History - A Revolution' by Gerry Miller
2022-03-22 18:30 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street,, Manchester, M1 5BY
An in-person meeting presented by Gerry Miller
The development of processes for the manufacture of Flat Glass was slow, progressive in only minor ways for many decades from 1900 to 1960. The methods used had become automated but still had many basic problems, particularly in the visual quality of the glass. They were all labour intensive, inefficient in performance and had problems keeping up with the product demands of the consumer industry. All flat glass manufacturers worldwide were looking for a step change to move forward, but for 30 years little had really changed.
Pilkington was the world leader in the technology of producing Polished Plate Glass, used for the most demanding markets and they had patents to protect their technology. In the 1950’s the main board of Pilkington, a family-owned private company, decided to undertake a revolutionary path in exploring the possibilities of producing high quality glass using a new technology. Their determination and technical expertise took them into an unknown world at great development cost for many years, far longer than ever expected, before they found success with the process known as Float Glass.
This process was a revolution, floating molten glass on a bath of molten tin to produce a perfectly formed product, free of distortion and capable of meeting the needs of all markets in a single process. This method has since become the only significant manner of producing Flat Glass today and has lasted for more than 60 years using the same basic principles. Technical advancements have been made in later years to cover all universal demands for modern glazing requirements, the application of coatings and colours to enhance both their functionality and appeal.
About the Speaker
Gerry Miller has worked in the glass industry with Pilkington all his life, including for the last 18 years as an independent consultant internationally, mainly on the Float Glass process.
About the Venue
www.anthonyburgess.org

'Boxing Clever' - a brief history of corrugated containers and the ingenuity of their design and manufacture
2022-04-06 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
An in person and online presentation by Nigel Jopson
Nigel Jopson offers an insight into the complexity of items often taken for granted.
Sign Up For This Event Here

'A History of Dowty' by Ally McConnell
2022-04-11 06:30 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | This is an Online Event
An webcast (Zoom) presentation by Ally McConnell.
Featuring material from Sir George Dowty’s autobiography & the Dowty archive.
PLEASE NOTE: This is no longer an in-person event. It is however available to book online via the link below
For those who are unable to attend in person, questions may be submitted via email before the lecture to events@newcomen.com or via Zoom chat during the lecture.
Booking information
Tickets are free but as we can only accommodate 100 attendees online, we recommend you book early via the Sign up link below (you will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite immediately after registration).
Sign Up For This Event Here

Cleveland's Innovative Engineers by Sue Parker
2022-04-13 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL
An in person and online presentation by Sue Parker
The Cleveland Institution of Engineers was founded in 1864 and has detailed accounts of its lectures from 1868 to 1942 with full text and illustrations.
Drawing from the CIE’s archives, Sue Parker reveals the innovative engineering solutions of the area’s leading engineers. Many of them were ahead of their time.
Did you know that attempts were made to start a Channel Tunnel in 1883, or that the transmitter in telephone microphones in the 1980s was invented by a vicar in 1880?

For those who are unable to attend in person questions may be submitted via email before the lecture to events@newcomen.com or via Zoom chat during the lecture.
Booking information
If COVID restrictions permit this will be held as a joint In-Person and Online meeting and irrespective of whether you wish to join us In-Person or Online it is essential that you book your place via Eventbrite (see button below). Tickets are free but as we almost certainly will be limited as to the number of people who can attend in person and as we can only accommodate 100 attendees online we recommend you book early. Eventbrite will email you a confirmation immediately after registration.
Sign Up For This Event Here

'South Wales Colliery Winding Engines' by Brian Davies.
2022-04-21 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
An in person presentation by Brian Davies
An illustrated talk using slides of surviving and many old and now demolished winding engines. The talk will be in three sections – first a survey of the steam winding engines that survived into the 1960s, illustrated by photos that Brian took then. Some of them on a tour with George Watkins; then a survey of the engines that survive; and finally he will detail some of the restoration work on the 1875 Barker & Cope engine at the Great Western Colliery near Pontypridd.

The Call To Arms (Dickinson Memorial Lecture) by Stephen Furber
2022-05-11 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL
An in person and online presentation by Professor Stephen Furber
The ARM microprocessor dominates the world of mobile and embedded computing with over 200 billion ARM-powered microchips manufactured to date.
The origins of the ARM can be traced back to a small UK supplier of desk-top machines, Acorn Computers Ltd in the early 1980s, for whose staff the original ARM (then the ‘Acorn RISC Machine’) was a first attempt at designing a microprocessor.
A lot has changed over the subsequent 40 years, and today the ARM is used in almost all mobile phones, the world’s fastest supercomputer, and many other computing systems including the SpiNNaker brain-modelling computer at the University of Manchester.
This lecture is now available to watch in full on the Dickinson Memorial page.
About the Speaker
Professor Stephen Furber
Steve Furber is the ICL Professor of Computer Engineering in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manchester. He received his B.A. degree in Mathematics in 1974 and his Ph.D. in Aerodynamics in 1980 from the University of Cambridge, England. From 1981 to 1990 he worked in the hardware development group within the R&D department at Acorn Computers Ltd, and was a principal designer of the BBC Microcomputer and the ARM 32-bit RISC microprocessor, both of which earned Acorn Computers a Queen’s Award for Technology. Upon moving to the University of Manchester in 1990 he established the Amulet research group which has interests in asynchronous logic design and power-efficient computing, and which merged with the Parallel Architectures and Languages group in 2000 to form the Advanced Processor Technologies group. From 2003 to 2008 the APT group was supported by an EPSRC Portfolio Partnership Award.
Steve served as Head of the Department of Computer Science in the Victoria University of Manchester from 2001 up to the merger with UMIST in 2004.
Sign Up For This Event Here

'Henry Ford’s Holiday in 1928' by David Perrett
2022-05-19 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
An in person presentation by David Perrett.

'Gun making by machinery - the 1853 Enfield Rifle, mechanised manufacture and interchangeability' by Peter Smithurst
2022-05-23 18:30 - 19:30 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
An in person presentation by Peter Smithurst
For those who are unable to attend in person questions may be submitted via email before the lecture to events@newcomen.com or via Zoom chat during the lecture.
Booking information
If COVID restrictions permit this will be held as a joint In-Person and Online meeting and irrespective of whether you wish to join us In-Person or Online it is essential that you book your place via Eventbrite (see button below). Tickets are free but as we almost certainly will be limited as to the number of people who can attend in person and as we can only accommodate 100 attendees online we recommend you book early. Eventbrite will email you a confirmation immediately after registration.
In-Person meeting at Kelham Island Museum
For those of you who wish to join us in person we will meet from 6:00 pm, but it is prossible that COVID restrictions may mean that teas and coffee are not available.
About the Speaker
Peter Smithurst
About the Venue
An in-person and webcast (zoom) meeting.
As previously the meeting will start at 6:30 pm and tea and coffee will be available from 6:00 pm and we look forward to welcoming you to what we hope will be an interesting series of talks and discussions.
For those of you who are uncertain about attending in-person meetings at present, we are also pleased to announce that all this year’s programme of talks will also be available as a live webcast.
Kelham Island Museum has advised that although no social distancing restrictions will be in place for the meeting, we will need to keep a detailed register of attendees. To assist with this and to gauge demand for the in-person talk it would be very helpful if you could let us know if you wish to join us using the Eventbrite link below. Similarly, if you would like to join us online please book using the Eventbrite link below. We are very happy if you wish to “hedge your bets” and book for both the in-person and online talks at this stage and make a final decision nearer the time.
A group of members and guests will be meeting for a pre-talk meal and if you wish to join us please let me know so that I can advise them of the probable numbers.
All Newcomen evening meetings are free and open to all and if you are aware of any non-members who may be interested in this talk please feel free to forward this email to them.
Please Note:- The parking arrangements at the Museum have changed and the car park between the Museum and the river is now closed and is being used by the Museum Cafe and Bar as an outdoor seating area. Details of the new parking arrangements can be found at http://www.simt.co.uk/kelham-island-museum/plan-your-visit
Sign Up For This Event Here

'Reverse Engineering' by John Moyle
2022-09-26 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG

'RAF Planes that won the Battle of Britain were built on German Machinery' by Dr. Jonathan Aylen
2022-09-27 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street,, Manchester, M1 5BY
Why the Jewish Refugee Engineer, Ludwig Loewy was crucial to Britain
Ludwig Loewy was a Jewish engineer who left Nazi Germany in 1936 to set up an engineering firm in London as a refugee. Britain was re-arming and a new generation of aircraft was being developed based on light alloy “stressed skin” construction. Loewy Engineering had 2,000 German drawings and the expertise needed to build machinery urgently needed for alloy fabrication. The machines were otherwise supplied from Germany at a time of growing tension.
Loewy’s company developed rapidly, helped by a workforce of refugee engineers and managers. Loewy became a trusted advisor to the Government’s production programme for aircraft until his death in 1942. His former firm in Düsseldorf, Schloemann, was ‘Aryanised’ after his departure and continued to supply equipment to the UK until the outbreak of war and went on to help the German and Italian war effort.
Ludwig Loewy’s rapid assimilation owed much to earlier contacts with the UK, his welcome expertise in a sector that was growing at break-neck speed and customers who needed his technology. The Government welcomed his contribution to aircraft production at a time of rapid re-armament. Ludwig Loewy’s experience supports the view that German speaking refugee engineers were readily accepted in the UK over the period 1933 to 1945.

'The Newcomen Engine Pumping House at Brislington' by David Hardwick
2022-10-05 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
David Hardwick discusses the historical and archaeological appraisal of the standing building in Brislington

'Learning Through Archaeology: The ROCKET Project' by Michael Bailey
2022-10-12 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL

'RAF Planes that won the Battle of Britain were built by German Machinery' by Dr. Jonathan Aylen
2022-10-20 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
Having enlightened the people of Manchester in late September, Dr. Jonathan Aylen takes his fascinating account of Ludwig Loewy to the people of Bristol.
Why the Jewish Refugee Engineer, Ludwig Loewy was crucial to Britain
Ludwig Loewy was a Jewish engineer who left Nazi Germany in 1936 to set up an engineering firm in London as a refugee. Britain was re-arming and a new generation of aircraft was being developed based on light alloy “stressed skin” construction. Loewy Engineering had 2,000 German drawings and the expertise needed to build machinery urgently needed for alloy fabrication. The machines were otherwise supplied from Germany at a time of growing tension.
Loewy’s company developed rapidly, helped by a workforce of refugee engineers and managers. Loewy became a trusted advisor to the Government’s production programme for aircraft until his death in 1942. His former firm in Düsseldorf, Schloemann, was ‘Aryanised’ after his departure and continued to supply equipment to the UK until the outbreak of war and went on to help the German and Italian war effort.
Ludwig Loewy’s rapid assimilation owed much to earlier contacts with the UK, his welcome expertise in a sector that was growing at break-neck speed and customers who needed his technology. The Government welcomed his contribution to aircraft production at a time of rapid re-armament. Ludwig Loewy’s experience supports the view that German speaking refugee engineers were readily accepted in the UK over the period 1933 to 1945.

'The Turbine Plant on the Major Ocean Going Liners including Titanic' by Geoff Horsman
2022-10-25 14:00 - 16:15 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
This is a free 1/2 day event starting a 14:00 at which Geoff Horsman will give two talks that outline the development and history of turbines, with particular reference to the work of Parsons. This talk will be in the afternoon while the other will be in the evening.
There will also be an opportunity from 12 noon to 1.45pm to examine Parson’s No 4 Turbine which is held by Kelham Island Museum. Turbine No 1 is understood to have been the prototype, while Turbine No 4 is almost certainly the first production model.
Also see The Evolution of the Parsons Land Steam Turbine (the second talk)
The Programme for the day (both talks) is as follows:
12:00 pm to 1:45 pm Tea and coffee and an opportunity to view the Parsons turbine that is held by Kelham.
2:00 pm Welcome and a brief outline as to how Kelham became home to Parsons first-ever turbine-generator supplied to a customer for commercial operation.
2:15 pm A History of Parsons and Pametrada Marine Turbines in the Great Liners
This talk will outline the evolution of Parsons and Pametrada’s most powerful marine steam turbines from the Mauretania and Lusitania via the Titanic, Aquitania, Île de France, Empress of Britain, Bremen, Europa, Queen Mary and Windsor Castle to the QE2. The creation of Pametrada which produced the engine designs for Britain’s most prominent shipyards to build – including John Brown, Harland and Wolff, Cammell Laird, Vickers Armstrong, Swan Hunters, etc – will also be described. There will be insights into passenger life onboard the ships as well as the engines.
4:15 pm Break
5:30 pm Film “Makers of Power”
6:00 pm The Evolution of the Parsons Land Steam Turbine
This talk will describe how the turbines produced for power station use changed from the World’s first turbine-generator of 1884 up until the time Parsons became part of Siemens in 1997. The keynote designs will be discussed including the machines for Calder Hall (the World’s first commercial nuclear power station), Drax (Britain’s largest power station), and Nanticoke (the largest coal-fired power station in North America). Reference will be made to the Kelham Island turbine generator in this talk.
8:00 pm Closing Remarks
About the Speaker:
Until his retirement, Geoff Horsman was Chief Turbine Engineer for Siemens at C. A Parsons Works in Newcastle. He is now the keeper of the historic archive at the CA Parsons Works in Newcastle.

'The Evolution of the Parsons Land Steam Turbine' by Geoff Horsman
2022-10-25 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
This is a free 1/2 day event starting a 14:00 at which Geoff Horsman will give two talks that outline the development and history of turbines with particular reference to the work of Parsons. The other talk will be in the afternoon while this one will be in the evening.
There will also be an opportunity to examine Parson’s No 2 Turbine which is held by Kelham Island Museum. Turbine No 1 is understood to have been the prototype while Turbine No 2 is almost certainly the first production model.
Also see The Turbine Plant on the Major Ocean Going Liners such as the ‘Titanic (first talk in the afternoon)
The Programme for the day (both talks) is as follows:
12:00 pm to 1:45 pm Tea and coffee and an opportunity to view the Parsons turbine that is held by Kelham.
2:00 pm Welcome and a brief outline as to how Kelham became home to Parsons first-ever turbine-generator supplied to a customer for commercial operation.
2:15 pm A History of Parsons and Pametrada Marine Turbines in the Great Liners
This talk will outline the evolution of Parsons and Pametrada’s most powerful marine steam turbines from the Mauretania and Lusitania via the Titanic, Aquitania, Île de France, Empress of Britain, Bremen, Europa, Queen Mary and Windsor Castle to the QE2. The creation of Pametrada which produced the engine designs for Britain’s most prominent shipyards to build – including John Brown, Harland and Wolff, Cammell Laird, Vickers Armstrong, Swan Hunters, etc – will also be described. There will be insights into passenger life onboard the ships as well as the engines.
4:15 pm Break
5:30 pm Film “Makers of Power”
6:00 pm The Evolution of the Parsons Land Steam Turbine
This talk will describe how the turbines produced for power station use changed from the World’s first turbine-generator of 1884 up until the time Parsons became part of Siemens in 1997. The keynote designs will be discussed including the machines for Calder Hall (the World’s first commercial nuclear power station), Drax (Britain’s largest power station), and Nanticoke (the largest coal-fired power station in North America). Reference will be made to the Kelham Island turbine generator in this talk.
8:00 pm Closing Remarks
About the Speaker:
Until his retirement, Geoff Horsman was Chief Turbine Engineer for Siemens at C. A Parsons Works in Newcastle. He is now the keeper of the historic archive at the CA Parsons Works in Newcastle.

'Railways as World Heritage sites' by Anthony Coulls
2022-10-25 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street,, Manchester, M1 5BY

'Brickyard Engines that drove Clay Mills in the Early 19th Century' by Elizabeth Thomson
2022-11-02 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
Elizabeth Thomson considers a critical aspect for Britain’s urban growth

THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED : 'Newcomen Engine illustrations' by David Perrett
2022-11-09 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | LONDON Dana Centre, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
This event is postponed due to rail strikes.
Please visit the website at a later date for details on rescheduled event.

'Fore & Aft - The Severn Ships Graveyard' by Paul Barnett
2022-11-17 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG

'A Short History of Societal Response to Major Accidents' By Professor Rod Smith
2022-11-21 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG

'The History of Television' by Paul Marshall
2022-11-22 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | MANCHESTER International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street,, Manchester, M1 5BY

'Invention & Design; Elkington of Birmingham' by Dr. Jonathan Berg
2022-12-07 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
Dr. Jonathan Berg discusses the invention of electroplating and its commercialisation in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter

'John Smeaton and the Calder Navigation' by Lesley Taylor & Shirley Levons
2022-12-12 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
This is a joint meeting with South Yorkshire Industrial History Society (SYIHS)
Available both in-person and online.
Joining us IN PERSON – just turn up, there is no need to register
Joining us ONLINE- please use the Zoom Link below which will be live from about 6:30 pm on the 12th Dec.
If you wish to join us online the Zoom link is:- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83188182714?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 831 8818 2714
Passcode: [REDACTED]
The meeting will start at a slightly later time of 7:00 pm and tea and coffee will be available from 6:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you to what will be an interesting talk and discussion.
This talk will explore the background to the factors that lead to the River Calder being made navigable above Wakefield, and will cover the first four years of construction,1760-63, when John Smeaton, the engineer-in-chief wrote a weekly journal. This has been used as the basis of the talk (and our book) in combination with many other source materials such as plans, letters, minutes, accounts, Acts of Parliament and Parliamentary Journals.
It will outline the many years before the scheme gained Parliamentary approval, the people who drove the scheme forward, and the conflicts and disappointments they faced. The practical requirements will be brought into sharp focus: the planning, negotiating and financing, and the sourcing of labour, materials and equipment. As the work gradually progressed the story is often of difficulties faced on this volatile river and the disagreements which these setbacks caused.
About The Lecturers
Lesley Taylor and Shirley Levon are local historians from Wakefield with a shared interest in the eighteenth century. Upon retirement from teaching Lesley studied for an MA in local history at York University focusing on Wakefield in the eighteenth century. Shirley was a teacher who had researched her own family history for many years, but on retirement over twenty years ago became interested in local history, and the collaboration with Lesley developed. In 2014 they published a book based on the letters of two women who lived in Wakefield in the eighteenth century. Involvement in a project about Wakefield Waterfront led to the discovery of Smeatons’ Journal, and after considerable research, they based their recent book on the subject.
About The Venue
Please Note:- The parking arrangements at the Museum have changed and the car park adjacent to the river is now closed and is being used by the Museum Cafe and Bar as an outdoor seating area. Details of the new parking arrangements can be found at http://www.simt.co.uk/kelham-island-museum/plan-your-visit

'Concorde: An Engineering Failure?' by Dr Fred Starr
2022-12-14 17:30 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | This is an Online Event
The challenge of designing a supersonic passenger transport, and the reason why Concorde fell short of the range and passenger capacity.
This is not about the Air France Concorde air crash. It is about the challenge of designing a supersonic passenger transport, and the reasons why Concorde fell short of the range and passenger carrying ability originally expected. As a result, commercial interest in Concorde fell away. Failure to meet targets is a feature of “engineering failures”, which impress the public and politicians, and appear successful, but no one buys them.
Operating very close to the speed of sound, or the Sound Barrier in other words, is extremely costly in terms of fuel consumption. Indeed, once Concorde was through the Sound Barrier, the faster it flew, the more economical was it, and the greater the range. However, high speed subjects an airframe to high temperatures, and given the strength and temperature performance of aluminium alloys, the best that could be hoped for was Mach 2.2, or 1450 mph.
Then there was the power needed to get through the sound barrier…..Approximately twice as much thrust is needed to fly at just above the speed of sound, as is required to fly just below it. And for supersonic flight a rather unusual type of jet engine is needed. All that Britain had was the Bristol Olympus, a really great engine, but dating from the early fifties. By 1960 it had already been “stretched” to meet the needs of the latest Avro Vulcan bombers. It was a huge challenge to produce even more thrust.
Another big issue was the sonic boom. Initially dismissed, when Concorde was first envisaged, it slowly became clear that sonic bangs, scores of times a day, could not be tolerated. Unfortunately, flying at subsonic speeds, over land, cut Concorde’s range.
As the design and construction of Concorde proceeded, weight increased. Afterburning became necessary at take off, and a longer period at afterburning thrust was needed when getting through the transonic range. Impacting on fuel demands and aircraft weight. Increased weight was too much for the aluminium structure at Mach 2.2. Restricting cruising speed to Mach 2.04 or 1345 mph. Range suffered, as at supersonic speed, slower means less economical flight.
A vicious circle had begun, where, in addition, the restriction on supersonic flight over land added to the range challenge. Concorde became good for nothing more than London-Washington and Paris-Washington. In addition, on hot days, out of Washington, passenger numbers were restricted. As were sales to airline companies, other than Air France and British Airways.
The talk ends with a few words about the hopes for “supersonic business jets”. This might interest genuine multi millionaires in the audience.
About the Lecturer
Dr Fred Starr FIMMM, FIE, MIMechE, C. Eng.
Usually, any biography about me has emphasised my British Gas/Metallurgy/Energy background. As the present talk is on Concorde, specifically “Was it an Engineering Failure” I thought it helpful to show, that while I have no formal training in aeronautical engineering, I have enough background to say something useful and different about the subject in point.
My interest in the technical side of aviation began when I was still in the Sixth Form, mainly through the series of articles that the aviation journalist, Roy Braybrook wrote in the magazine, “Flying Review”. Here he endeavoured to estimate the performance of the latest Russian fighters and bombers. He showed me that there was a science behind the design of aircraft. I eventually had the pleasure of meeting Roy in the Woodman, near Leatherhead, where I was able to tell him that his stuff had gone towards saving my career at British Gas. He sniffed, in his curmudgeonly way, until I told him that I had built a closed cycle gas turbine.
There was a long gap between reading Flying Review in the 1960s and the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine Project. When, in the late 1980s, after I had outlined the proposal to Grev Gibson, an Assistant Director at British Gas, London Research Station, in Fulham, I was told to get on with it. Since almost all of my spare time had been spent reading up on aircraft and aircraft engine design, I had enough basic knowledge to take the project forward. Doing the job meant I had to professionalise my hobby.
One of the key parts of the closed cycle is the gas turbine itself. But it has to be of an unusual type. Although having a high inlet temperature, it runs at a very low pressure ratio. For this reason, engine builders in this country couldn’t help. However, the Helicopter Division at Westlands told me that my best option would be a modified diesel truck turbocharger. Try Holset Ltd, in Huddersfield, they said. So a “Closed Cycle Demonstrator” was built on Coleshill Gas works. As well as the truck turbocharger, it incorporated a fired heater, printed circuit recuperator and fin fan cooler. The attached picture shows Grev Gibson and myself overlooking the Demonstrator. As you will see it was not intended to take off!
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POSTPONED - 'The Vierendeel bridge story' by Bernard Espion
2022-12-14 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL
DUE TO INDUSTRIAL ACTION THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED
CHECK BACK LATER FOR RESCHEDULED DATE
The bridge’s origins and fate in the introduction of electrical arc welding in Belgium
This presentation will trace the history of the application of the girder without diagonals to steel bridges from 1895 onwards, when the Belgian engineer Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940) filed a patent for it. Vierendeel then began a long battle, both in Belgium and abroad, to promote and impose the use of ‘his’ girder, which was not really accepted in Belgium – and still very cautiously – until the 1920s.
The presentation will also trace the circumstances that led to the massive use of this type of beam by the Administration des Ponts et Chaussées for the construction of some fifty bridges to cross Belgium’s Albert Canal in the years 1933-1938. This was the first time that electric arc welding was used on a massive scale, without any real hindsight, to make connections in steel bridges. It led to the collapse without warning of the Hasselt bridge on 13 March 1938, a date that can be considered as the beginning of another story, that of the brittle failure. The presentation will also discuss the aftermath of this resounding accident in its scientific and technical dimensions.
About the Lecturer
Bernard Espion is Professor emeritus from the University of Brussels (ULB) where he has taught structural analysis and design for 40 years, directing the laboratory of civil engineering 2000-2021. He has written numerous construction history papers dealing with heritage structures, bridges, reinforced and prestressed concrete structures, engineers and contractors, especially in Belgium.

'The Pentrich Engine' by David Hulse
2023-01-04 19:00 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
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 Pentrich engine, designed by Francis Thompson, was constructed in 1791 to pump water out of a coal mine at Pentrich in Derbyshire.
David Hulse will describe its features and tell its history, based on his research while building a detailed 1/16th scale model of the original engine. Pictures of the model will be used to illustrate the talk.
About The Lecturer
In 1970, David Hulse started a project which was to occupy all his spare time for the next 45 years! He has researched and constructed in miniature the important steam engines which were built in the eighteenth century.
These engines paved the way for the industrial revolution in the British Isles and which spread to many other countries throughout the world. These eighteenth century engines are usually grouped together and called steam engines, however, they were not steam engines. Steam was used as a means of creating a vacuum against which the earth’s pressure could act. The correct terminology is that they were atmospheric engines.
Please visit David’s website: davidhulse.co.uk for more info.

Presidential Address: 'Trying to secure the past' - innovation studies & the evolution of technology by Jonathan Aylen
2023-01-11 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL
This event is also the Society’s Presidential Address & is both an in-person and on-line event. To reserve a spot for either option, please visit the lecture’s Eventbrite page.
Technical development often follows an evolutionary path. There may be a variety of solutions to a technical problem. A preferred approach often emerges. In turn, this may become a “dominant design”. Sometimes technology gets locked-in to a preferred solution which may not be the best outcome, but satisfactory for the time being. Evolution need not produce optimal outcomes.
This lecture gives examples of the evolution of technical knowledge, showing practical engineering solutions adopted by a range of twentieth century technologies. Evolution of technology is “Lamarckian” rather than “Darwinian” as solutions are directly incorporated into successive generations of a technology.
The central problem of an evolutionary approach is the elimination of human agents from the story – those who create the technology and those who guide its adoption. But evolution does have much to teach us, for example about selection of new technologies for a low carbon future.
About the Lecturer
Dr Jonathan Aylen is immediate past President of the Newcomen Society who has researched a range of twentieth century technologies including missile guidance systems, nuclear weapons, rolling mill design and computer use in steel production and on the railways. Currently Dr Aylen is a visiting senior research fellow at the University of Manchester. For more info please visit his Newcomen profile Dr. Jonathan Aylen
