Newcomen.com

POSTPONED - Annual Joint Meeting with the Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society (BIAS)
2022-01-20 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
The Socety’s annual joint meeting with the Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society (BIAS) has been postponed do to Covid.
Information regarding the rescheduling of this event will be posted on the website when clarified.

Lady Charlotte Guest at Dowlais 1833 – 1855
2022-01-05 19:00 - 21:00 | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
An in-person only presentation by Dr. Victoria Owens
Dr Victoria Owens examines how a pioneering businesswoman came to head the world’s largest ironworks.
When impoverished aristocrat Lady Charlotte Bertie married wealthy Welsh ironmaster John Guest of Dowlais in 1833, her relatives looked on with dismay. Yet despite their vast difference of background and age, over their nineteen-year long marriage, husband and wife enjoyed great happiness and much adventure. There would be ten children and while John built up an immense commercial empire, Charlotte championed Welsh culture.
Crucially, she taught herself John’s business from the inside. Over the years, she made the keenest observation of iron production, the fluctuations of the trade and the engineering innovations that touched upon its developments. When John died in 1852, she was therefore uniquely well-placed to succeed him as head of the works – a remarkable position for a Victorian woman. Not only did she endeavour to introduce reforms, but also – rather to her dismay – had to weather a potentially destructive strike. But success came at a price. With her star to all sight in the ascendant, Lady Charlotte suddenly chose to abandon all, leave Wales and marry her sons’ tutor!
This presentation (& Victoria’s book on the subject) traces the ardent, creative years of her first marriage, explores her determination – widowed – to preserve John’s legacy, and observes her growing devotion to her second husband, the scholarly Charles Schreiber.
About the Venue
Please note that in compliance with Thinktank’s commitment to COVID-19 secure events, we ask that masks are worn (unless exempt) and social distancing is observed.
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Target Sheffield - Three failures and a triumph
2021-12-13 19:30 - 20:30 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
An in-person only lecture by Phillip Judkins
This is a joint meeting presented by the Newcomen Society and the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society
Pre-Meeting Exhibition Visit
There will be a pre-meeting exhibition visit 6:15pm-7:15pm, followed by meeting start at 7:30pm.
As part of our meeting on Monday 13th December 2021, we have organised a private visit between 6:15 pm and 7:15 pm to view the exhibition of early magnetron valves and Sheffield industries contribution to the development and manufacture of the necessary permanent magnets. Many of the items have been loaned to Kelham Island Museum by Dr Phillip Judkins. The exhibition, which in part was funded by the Newcomen Society, has been designed and mounted by David Eaton.
The magnetron was developed by John Randall and Harry Boot at Birmingham University and the associated magnet research was carried out by Professor Willie Sucksmith at the University of Sheffield. A key component of the magnetron valve is the high powered magnet needed to generate the microwave field. The magnetron valve was key to producing small but high powered short-wave and high-frequency RADAR systems, which were installed in aircraft during the battle of the Atlantic in WWII. The objects on display are very early examples and highlight a little known area of important work undertaken in Sheffield during the war.
The Lecture (in-person only)
Please note new start of 7:30 pm and not 6.30pm as previously advertised.
Eighty-one years ago, in December 1940, Sheffield suffered the double blow of being blitzed twice in four nights, with almost 700 dead, 40,000 homeless and devastation across the city centre and public services. The human stories of these raids have been well described many times, but the technological story of the air attacks on Sheffield has not been as closely examined – and some secrets are yet to be revealed.
Dr Phillip Judkins analyses the engineering and technology of the air attacks on Sheffield in both the First and the Second World Wars, laying out even-handedly the successes and failures of the scientists, engineers and military commanders both of attackers and defenders, and taking the story from the 1870s to the era of the cruise missile.
Expect to hear a story based on new information which ranges from outright farce to the depths of human tragedy, as those determined to destroy the Steel City, and those resolved to stop them, fight with weapons at – and beyond – the limits of the engineering and technology of their times.
About the Speaker
Phillip Judkins is a member of council for the Newcomen Society.
Attending the Lecture
Please note, this is an in-person only meeting.
The meeting will start at 6:30 pm with tea and coffee available from 6:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you to what we hope will be an interesting series of talks and discussions.
Kelham Island Museum has advised us 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 helpful if you could let us know whether you wish to join us using by registering via the Eventbrite link below.
Also, a group of members and guests will be meeting up for a pre-talk meal and if you wish to join please let us know by emailing meetings.syorks@newcomen.com so that we can advise them of probable numbers.
All Newcomen evening meetings are free and open to everyone. If you are aware of any non-members who may be interested in this talk, please feel free to share this page with 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
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Industrial Steam Power In London 1780 – 1805
2021-12-08 18:00 - 19:00 | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL
An in-person and streamed (Zoom) lecture by Dr. John Kanefsky
The role played by London in the classic period of the Industrial revolution (say 1760-1815) has long been a topic of debate among historians of technology. Some have argued that London was unimportant; others that it was a driving force as much as Lancashire or the coalfields.
The existence of the huge Boulton and Watt (B&W) archive and the mythology that grew up promoting the firm has led to over-concentration on their output: as recently as 2016 a researcher could write that they had a monopoly of engine building in the capital. This is patently untrue: they were the most important, but only one of the players in the market for steam engines.
This paper examines, from a wide range of sources, actual engine numbers built, as far as they can be ascertained, and places them in the national context. Moreover, a survey of steam engines at work in the capital was made by Farey in 1804/5 and published in his famous Treatise in 1827 (see event image). To benchmark this Dr. John Kanefsky‘s online database of Watt and other engines installed up to 1800 has been extended to 1805 for London, not just for B&W engines but also other makers including Trevithick. The results are instructive and unexpected.
Attending the Lecture
In-Person meeting at the Alan Baxter Gallery
For those of you who wish to join us in person, we will meet from 6:00 pm as usual.
Online Meeting
For those of you who wish to join us online, please book via the link below. You will then receive a separate email with a link to access the online event via Zoom on the evening prior to the event. Please note that each link is unique and should not be shared. This link will be available from 6:00 pm and as this is a Zoom Webinar, whilst you will be able to see and hear the Chairman and Speaker, they will not be able to see you and you will not be able to see other participants.
The Newcomen Society reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up or cancel the event. The Newcomen Society will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.
Booking is essential.
Sign Up For This Event Here (Eventbrite)

Claymills - the building of an integrated Victorian industrial site and its later restoration
2021-12-01 19:00 - 21:00 | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
John Freeman CBE
Claymills – the building of an integrated Victorian industrial site and its later restoration
John Freeman CBE discusses the progressive development and repurposing of this imposing site from industrial to heritage use.
It replaces the provisionally arranged talk on the Harwell Dekatron Computer, which will be rescheduled for 2022/2023.
This lecture is provided by the Newcomen Society, in conjunction with Birmingham Museums Trust.
About the Speaker
John is a Trustee of Claymills Pumping Engines Trust and has kindly offered this lecture to the Newcomen Society.
About the Venue
Please note that in compliance with Thinktank’s commitment to COVID-19 secure events, we ask that masks are worn (unless exempt) and social distancing is observed.
Sign Up For This Event Here

Golden Egg or Poisoned Chalice? The Story of Nuclear Power in the UK
2021-11-23 18:30 - 19:30 | This is an Online Event
An Online Lecture by Tony Wooldridge (presenting) and Stephen Druce
Golden Egg or Poisoned Chalice? The Story of Nuclear Power in the UK
The UK lays claim to being the first country to produce electricity from nuclear power on a commercial scale and has often ploughed its own furrow, initially choosing indigenous reactor designs rather than following international trends, but now willing to consider any design that can satisfy legislative requirements. What are the reasons underlying the erratic development of nuclear power in the UK and what lessons can be learned for future policy decisions, whether in the UK or elsewhere, where infrastructure projects with long-term effects are concerned?
This book tries to unravel the factors that have influenced policy decisions, using original sources where possible. The story is fascinating: secrecy in the early years, unbalanced institutional and commercial influences on government, powerful personalities, national pride, short-sighted political considerations and external events have all played a part. The book starts with the post-war military developments and covers all the main nuclear power activities up to the present day, including generation, reprocessing, decommissioning and waste disposal.
Whether one is enthusiastic or sceptical about nuclear power, this book provides an objective review of past policies and decisions and provides essential background for all those interested in the future of the industry, both members of the public and those more directly involved.
About the Speakers
Tony Wooldridge
Mr Tony Wooldridge gained a First Class Honours Degree in Physics from the University of Oxford in 1973.
In 1977, he joined the electricity supply industry to undertake research and development at the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Applications Centre in Manchester. Subsequently, he has held a range of technical and management positions in the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) and its successor companies.
He was President of the British Institute of NDT during 2005 and 2006.
In 2009 he joined the nuclear regulator (NII) and assessed the designs for new nuclear plant in the UK, particularly the EPR planned for Hinkley Point C.
He is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Physicist, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Fellow of the British Institute of NDT.
Stephen Druce
Dr Stephen Druce gained a First Class Honours Degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science from the University of Birmingham in 1973 and then a PhD in 1977.
He joined UKAEA in 1977 to undertake research and development into the fracture of nuclear structural materials at Harwell, Oxfordshire. Subsequently, he held a range of technical and managerial positions in UKAEA and its successor privatised arm, AEA Technology. During this period, he managed the AEA Technology Thermal Reactor Safety Programme, provided expert advice on structural integrity issues in MAGNOX, SGHWR, and PWR reactor systems, and was seconded to US Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
In 2009 he joined the UK nuclear regulator (NII) where he worked until his retirement in 2014, assessing structural integrity issues in the UK AGRs and PWR operating reactors and the design and construction of the proposed EPR for Hinkley C.
He is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
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The History of Water- the Sheffield Reflection
2021-11-22 18:30 - 19:30 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
Dr Jenny Stephenson
The History of Water- the Sheffield Reflection
Water, an essential ingredient for life, has a fascinating and rather turbulent history. It has certainly been a force for good as well as evil: too much, too little, clean or dirty, as illustrated in this talk.
In the early years, the industrial town of Sheffield expanded quickly and became victim to severe overcrowding, putting pressure on the supplies of drinking water and general cleanliness, with the terrible consequences of cholera, typhoid, smallpox, high infant mortality rates to name but a few. It took 22 years for Sheffield’s leaders to respond to the situation following a survey report of 1847, by digging sewers and building further reservoirs.
As well as this timeline, the talk will cover the history of the toilet and that of our local fifteen reservoirs. The talk will briefly cover the issues of sustainability and concerns for the environment, including the part we ourselves can play in this.
The talk is based on a book written by Dr Jenny Stephenson, which is an easily readable account and copies will be available at £10 with 100% of the proceeds going to WaterAid and Cavendish Cancer Care. The book can also be obtained from https;//www.amazon.in/History-Water-Sheffield-Reflection-civilisation/dp/1905278918 or directly from Jenny at jenniferannstephenson@btinternet.com
About the Speaker
Jenny is a GP in Stannington, Sheffield and also works at the Health Authority (CCG) in the Diabetes department. She enjoys painting and photography and collecting interesting facts, and has written two previous local history books. One details local medical history through the timeline of her medical centre, Walkley House, and the other is on the History of Pharmacy.
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
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“Transport without Petrol: a Pictorial History” by Robert Everett.
2021-11-18 19:30 - 21:30 | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
In person meeting.

'Learning Through Archaeology: Killingworth Billy' by Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson
2021-11-16 14:00 - 16:00 | NEWCASTLE Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 4HZ

"Industry before the industrial revolution" by Dr Justine Bayley
2021-11-10 18:00 - 19:00 | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL

Watering the Capital or Watering Capital? False accounting and a corrupt chief engineer. By Nick Higham
2021-10-26 18:30 - 19:30 | This is an Online Event

CANCELLATION. "Learning Lessons from Engineering Failures "
2021-10-26 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG

Sir Thomas Bouch: Hero? Villain? Victim? Or just bad PR? by Bill Jagger
2021-10-25 18:00 - 20:00 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG

"Thomas Pearson, Engine Erector" by Ian Broom".
2021-10-21 19:30 - 21:30 | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG

"Metallurgical Myths and Other Misapprehensions of the Jet Engine and Jet Aircraft Era" by Dr.Fred Starr
2021-10-19 18:00 - 20:00 | This is an Online Event

"It’s not just about the robot! - the development of automated welding" by Bob Bowden
2021-10-19 14:00 - 15:00 | NEWCASTLE Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 4HZ

"A curator at the height of his powers: HW Dickinson, James Watt, and the Newcomen Society, 1919-1930" by Ben Russell
2021-10-13 18:00 - 19:00 | LONDON Alan Baxter Gallery, 75 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6EL

Stalinism, espionage and Marshall Aid: How US strip mill technology came to Europe
2021-09-20 18:30 - 19:30 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
An in-person and online lecture from Jonathan Aylen
Stalinism, espionage and Marshall Aid: How US strip mill technology came to Europe
Like railways in the 19th century and the internet in the 21st century, steel strip production was a technology that unlocked growth in a range of user industries during the 20th century.
Invented in America in the 1920’s to supply the fast-growing auto industry with steel sheets, the continuous wide strip mill rolled hot ribbons of steel strip which were gathered into coils to feed car makers press shops, food canners and a range of consumer durable industries.
These giant strip mills spread from the US to Europe and Japan just before and after the Second World War, transforming steel from a craft industry into large scale, continuous mass production. On the face of it, a straightforward example of technology transfer.
The lecture tells the remarkable stories behind this transfer. How the USA supplied advanced technology to Stalinist Russia before World War II and were paid in gold bullion for their efforts while the American origins were airbrushed out of history. How the Germans carried out industrial espionage to build their “own” equipment which they then tried to sell back to the USA. How equipment for Britain was commissioned under wartime conditions. And how American largesse re-built the shattered post-war economies of Europe.
This lecture focuses on the less orthodox aspects of a story first told in a book with Ruggero Ranieri – Ribbon of Fire – and a recent article in the International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology. In so doing it sheds light on the troubled history of Europe before the Second World War and some of the more unusual sources available to historians of technology.
Questions may be submitted via email before the lecture to events@Newcomen.com or via Zoom chat during the lecture.
About the Speaker
Jonathan Aylen is President of the Newcomen Society and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.
The Venue
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.

The Newcomen Society AGM 2021
2021-02-17 16:00 - 18:00 | This is an Online Event
The Annual General Meeting of The Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology will be held online on Wednesday, 17 February 2021 at 4 pm. The main business will be to receive and approve the Accounts, the Report of the Directors, the Independent Examiner’s Report and the Report of the Trustees. The meeting will elect Honorary Officers and receive a report on the ballot to elect members of Council.
Members will receive the full Agenda by e-mail (or by post for those who do not use e-mail) along with ballot papers for the election of Council Members and details of the online voting procedure.

The Famous ‘Flying Scotsman’ - Marketing, Circumstance and Chance
2020-12-15 18:30 - 19:30 | This is an Online Event
An Online Lecture from Bob GwynneIn the UK approximately 110,000 steam locomotives were built, but just one seems to be universally known amongst the British public. Author, curator and Flying Scotsman expert Bob Gwynne will attempt to answer the question as to why the ‘Flying Scotsman’ is so famous.
Expect unusual images and ‘people’ stories that cover more than 90 years of ‘marketing, circumstance and chance’ in a lively presentation that will provide some insight as to why the 3rd ‘A1’ locomotive built by the LNER for a specific job, became a ‘UK plc’ brand as familiar as HP Sauce and Big Ben.
About the Speaker
Bob Gwynne is an outstanding speaker from the National Railway Museum in York and author of a book on the Flying Scotsman. It is a topic that needs no introduction!
The event will be hosted by Jonathan Aylen – President of the Newcomen Society
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 subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite. To secure your place we recommend you book in advance.
Please click on the link below to register via Eventbrite, who will then email you a confirmation immediately after registration. You will receive a separate email with a link to access the event auditorium on the evening prior to the event itself. This link will be active approximately half an hour before it starts. The event auditorium will also provide access to the other items included in your ticket.
Please Note – Each link is unique and should not be shared; also as this is a Zoom Webinar, whilst you will be able to see and hear the Chairman and Speaker, they will not be able to see you and you will not be able to see other participants.
The Newcomen Society reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. The Newcomen Society will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.
Your email address is held by the Newcomen Society to enable it to send you information like this. Your email address will never be used for other purposes or revealed to third parties. If you do not wish us to continue holding your address, please contact us at events@Newcomen.com and we will delete your details from our records.

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Babbage And The Abstraction Of Mechanism
2020-11-17 18:30 - 20:00 | This is an Online Event
Above image – Detail from Plummer’s Difference Engine Number 3 – Photo credit Adrian Johnstone
An Online Lecture from Professor Adrian JohnstoneCharles Babbage has been called the ‘Great-Uncle’ of modern computing, a claim that rests simultaneously on his demonstrable understanding of most of the architectural principles underlying the modern computer, and the almost universal ignorance of Babbage’s work before 1970. There has since been an explosion of interest both in Babbage’s devices and the impact they might have had in some parallel history, and in Babbage himself as a man of great originality who had essentially no influence at all on subsequent technological development.
In all this, one fundamental question has been largely ignored: how is it that one individual working alone could have synthesised a workable computer design over a short period, designing an object whose complexity of behaviour so far exceeded that of contemporary machines that it would not be matched for over one hundred years?
The key, as is well understood in modern engineering contexts, is to abstract away from the full complexity of a concrete system. The complexity barrier was also faced by the electronics industry in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and triggered a switch from visual descriptions of large scale digital electronic devices to text-based Hardware Description Languages similar in style to that of a software programming language. Babbage too faced an overwhelming complexity barrier, and his response was indeed to design a system of hardware abstractions which he called his Notation. The ideas allowed him to reason in the abstract about chains of cause and effect in his mechanisms, and he believed the Notation to be his crowning achievement.
His ideas were not taken up: one near contemporary rejected it because there could be many concrete machines that had the same notational description, which of course was precisely the point.
In this talk Professor Johnstone will outline Babbage’s life and times; describe the functioning of the adder that is at the heart of Babbage’s mid-period designs and describe aspects of his notation that pre-date by 150 years similar concepts in Hardware Description Languages.
About the Speaker
Adrian Johnstone is Professor of Computing at Royal Holloway, University of London. He was a founding committee member of the Computer Conservation Society, and principal investigator for the Leverhulme Trust funded project Notions and Notations: Babbage’s Language of Thought.
The event will be hosted by Jonathan Aylen – President of the Newcomen Society
Booking information:
Tickets are free but subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite. To secure your place we recommend you book in advance.
Please click on the link below to register via Eventbrite, who will then email you a confirmation immediately after registration. You will receive a separate email with a link to access the event auditorium on the evening prior to the event itself. This link will be active approximately half an hour before it starts. The event auditorium will also provide access to the other items included in your ticket.
Please Note – Each link is unique and should not be shared; also as this is a Zoom Webinar, whilst you will be able to see and hear the Chairman and Speaker, they will not be able to see you and you will not be able to see other participants.
The Newcomen Society reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. The Newcomen Society will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.
Your email address is held by the Newcomen Society to enable it to send you information like this. Your email address will never be used for other purposes or revealed to third parties. If you do not wish us to continue holding your address, please contact us at events@Newcomen.com and we will delete your details from our records.

Sign Up For This Event HerePlummer’s Difference Engine Number 3 : Photo credit Adrian Johnstone

Cold War To Coal Trains: TOPS
2020-10-13 18:30 - 20:00 | This is an Online Event
An Online Lecture from Jonathan Aylen
British Railways’ first computer based train operating system
TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) was a computer system implemented by British Railways (BR) from 1973 to control its freight traffic. It allowed BR to keep tabs on its rolling stock across the whole rail network using IBM 370 mainframe computers in London. It was a major step towards modern management of railways in the UK.
TOPS was developed in the USA through collaboration between IBM and Southern Pacific. The software had its origins in the US Strategic Air Command’s SAGE – Semi-Automatic Ground Environment – system which gave early warning of Soviet bomber attacks on the US. TOPS was not so much “swords into ploughshares” as “Cold War to Coal Trains”.
The research exhibited in this talk is the summary of a collaboration between Bob Gwynne of the National Railway Museum, York and Jonathan Aylen to understand the history of computerisation on British Railways. The research shows how railways shaped society and their contribution to modern management.
Questions may be submitted via email before the lecture to events@Newcomen.com or via Zoom chat during the lecture.
About the Speaker
Jonathan Aylen is President of the Newcomen Society and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.
Booking information:
Tickets are free but subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite. To secure your place we recommend you book in advance.
Please click on the link below to register via Eventbrite, who will then email you a confirmation immediately after registration. You will receive a separate email with a link to access the event auditorium on the evening prior to the event itself. This link will be active approximately half an hour before it starts. The event auditorium will also provide access to the other items included in your ticket.
Please Note – Each link is unique and should not be shared; also as this is a Zoom Webinar, whilst you will be able to see and hear the Chairman and Speaker, they will not be able to see you and you will not be able to see other participants.
The Newcomen Society reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. The Newcomen Society will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.
Your email address is held by the Newcomen Society to enable it to send you information like this. Your email address will never be used for other purposes or revealed to third parties. If you do not wish us to continue holding your address, please contact us at events@Newcomen.com and we will delete your details from our records.

Sign Up For This Event HereOther Upcoming Events . . .

CANCELLED Timeball Towers
2020-09-29 18:30 | MANCHESTER Alliance Française, 125 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4QD
A presentation by Dr Roger Kinns

Wealden Iron
2020-09-22 18:30 - 21:30 | This is an Online Event
An Online Lecture from Dr Tim Smith
For some 338 years the Weald was home to a major iron industry with some 109 forges and 119 furnaces, the last of which closed in 1813.
However, the area supported a much older iron industry stretching back some 2,300 years. Early furnaces were small, made of clay and stone, and produced a solid spongy mass of iron called a bloom that was never molten but could be hammered into useful shapes. Knights’ armour, weapons, horse and ox shoes, nails and tools were all made from this bloomery iron.
In 1490, the very first blast furnace was built in Britain, on the Weald, at Buxted in East Sussex. Called blast furnaces because bellows blew a continuous blast of air into the furnace near its base, these furnaces produced molten iron that could be cast direct from the furnaces into useful items such as fire backs, salt pans and later cannon and shot.
To make tools, horse and ox shoes, nails and hand weapons, the iron had to be refined in forges to reduce its carbon content. For this the iron was cast into large ‘beams’ 2-3 metres long weighing half a tonne or more, called ‘sows’. These sows were refined at the forges by burning off the tip of the sow under a blast of air and hammering the resultant mushy mass into long bars. The beating of the water powered hammers gave rise to the name ‘hammer pond’.
Sign Up For This Event HereAbout the Author
Dr Tim Smith, is a graduate in Metallurgy and has been a member of the Historical Metallurgy Society since his student days at Brunel University. Tim is a leading global expert on modern iron and steel technology.

As one of the first Newcomen Events to be conducted online as a result of the Corona Virus pandemic, this talk attracted great praise: “excellent”; “entertaining”; “fluent”; “informative”; “an excellent lecture on a subject of great interest” and from a member in the USA: “The webinar yesterday was excellent – very good talk and excellent slides. It has certainly set the bar high”

CANCELLED Summer Meeting - South Yorkshire
2020-07-15 - 2020-07-19 | West Midlands
A Summer Meeting to remember, based in Sheffield, focused on modern technology and industrial visits in an area of vibrant manufacturing activity.

CANCELLED Crofton Picnic & Steaming Day
2020-06-26 10:30 - 16:30 | MARLBOROUGH, Crofton Pumping Station, Crofton, Marlborough, SN8 3DN, United Kingdom
Newcomen Private Steaming Day and Centennial Celebration at Crofton Pumping Station, Friday, 26 June 2020.
All Newcomen Members are invited to a private steaming day and centenary celebration at Crofton Pumping Station, Great Bedwyn, Wilts SN8 3DN on Friday 26 June 2020, admission from 10.30am.
Dating from 1807-09, Crofton Pumping Station owes its design to John Rennie, engineer to the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. Its buildings include a sizeable engine house, which accommodates an 1812 Boulton and Watt engine, and an engine purchased from Messrs Harvey of Hayle in 1846. Since Newcomen members Ian Broom and Geoff Wallis played a significant part in restoring the engines and boilers, Crofton is a particularly fitting location at which to mark the Society’s first hundred years. Ian Broom’s book, The Crofton Story (Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 2013) offers an engaging and beautifully illustrated account of the pumping station’s history and preservation.
The day will include a welcome from the Newcomen Society President; a talk on John Rennie’s association with the site; guided tours of the engine house from Crofton volunteers and a demonstration and display of work by members of the Society of Ornamental Turners.
The nearest railway station to the site is Bedwyn; otherwise, it is accessible by road; for comprehensive directions go to www.croftonbeamengines.org/plan-your-visit. Parking will be available in a field close to the site.
The licensed café, the Engineman’s Rest, will be open if you wish to purchase lunch at the site. Otherwise, please feel free to bring your own picnic.

Tickets, to include light refreshments, cost £20 per head and is open to Newcomen Members and their guests only (please login to your membership to access the ticket link). If you are not a member and wish to attend, feel free to join the Society here

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