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CANCELLED Summer Meeting - South Yorkshire
2020-07-15 - 2020-07-19 | South Yorkshire
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 (Europe/London) | 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

CANCELLED Henry Ford’s Holiday 1928
2020-05-21 19:30 | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
A presentation by David Perrett – Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society Meeting (BIAS)

POSTPONED tbc History of ARM and Trends in AI
2020-05-13 17:45 | LONDON Dana Centre, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
THE DICKINSON MEMORIAL LECTURE: A presentation by Professor Steve Furber – one of the developers of the Reduced Instruction Set Chip used extensively in your mobile ‘phone discusses the history of ARM and recent trends in Artificial Intelligence

CANCELLED History and Conservation of "City of Birmingham"
2020-05-06 19:00 | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
Dr Jim Andrew explains the history and conservation challenges of this iconic locomotive

CANCELLED Joseph Quick
2020-04-28 18:30 | MANCHESTER Alliance Française, 125 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4QD
CORRUPTION IN WATER ENGINEERING: A presentation by Nick Higham (Broadcaster) – The 19th century water supply industry in London relied upon consulting engineers for their development schemes. The outcomes were not always straightforward. A fascinating story from a natural raconteur.

CANCELLED Jonathan Aylen: Presidential Lecture
2020-04-27 18:30 - 20:15 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
Travel to Kelham Island:
For directions to Kelham Island Museum please visit:- http://www.simt.co.uk/find-us
For further information please contact John Suter on:- meetings.syorks@newcomen.com

CANCELLED Learning Through Archaeology: Killingworth 'Billy'
2020-04-21 14:00 | NEWCASTLE Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 4HZ
A presentation by Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson to be held in the Carpathia Room.
* * * * Places must be reserved * * * *
The origin of Killingworth Billy, preserved today at the Stephenson Railway Museum in North Tyneside, has long been a mystery. It was thought to have been built in 1826 by Robert Stephenson & Co., but full archaeological and archival studies were needed to establish its true place in the early history of railways.
In 2018 Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson had the opportunity to undertake these studies on behalf of Discovery Museum. It is now believed that Billy was initially fabricated and assembled in 1816 at Killingworth Colliery’s West Moor workshops, under the supervision of George Stephenson. The lecture will discuss the evidence which supports this view.
Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson are acclaimed researchers and writers on early railway history in the UK and abroad.
Entry is by free ticket available via Eventbrite here.
A free public talk in partnership with:

CANCELLED Colliery Winding Engines of South Wales
2020-04-16 19:30 | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
A presentation by Brian Davies – Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society Meeting (BIAS)

CANCELLED The R101 Disaster
2020-04-14 18:30 | PORTSMOUTH Hood Room, The Royal Maritime Club, 78-80 Queen Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3HS
A presentation by Bryan Lawton

CANCELLED Edward Snell
2020-04-08 17:45 | LONDON Dana Centre, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
LIFE & TIMES OF A YOUNG WEST COUNTRY ENGINEER IN THE 1840s: A presentation by John Cattell (Historic England)

CANCELLED History of Women in Engineering
2020-04-01 19:00 | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
Professor Graeme Gooday explores the ongoing role of women in engineering and related sectors

CANCELLED History of Wealden Iron
2020-03-24 18:30 | MANCHESTER Alliance Française, 125 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4QD
A presentation by Dr Tim Smith (Wealden Iron Research Group) – During the middle ages, the iron industry of Britain was clustered around the Weald of Southern England stretching from Kent to Surrey. This paper examines the technology and businesses behind the Wealden iron industry and discusses experiments to replicate their furnace practices.

CANCELLED Transport without Petrol
2020-03-19 19:30 | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
A PICTORIAL HISTORY: A presentation by Rob Everett – Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society Meeting (BIAS)

Joseph von Baader (1763-1835)
2020-03-11 17:45 | LONDON Hans Rausing Lecture Theatre, The Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 1AL, United Kingdom
INSPIRED BY BRITISH INVENTIONS: A presentation by Michael Eckert –
Bavaria offered little incentive for the new industrial age around 1800. Yet – due to the activities of the entrepreneurial scientist Joseph von Baader – the Industrial Revolution became manifest in Bavaria at least marginally in the form of hydraulic machinery, steam engines, gas light and other novel technologies. Baader’s innovations were inspired by extended sojourns in Great Britain where he had visited James Watt’s steam engines, John Wilkinson’s iron works and other industrial sites.
Unlike the breeding grounds of the Industrial Revolution in England and Scotland, however, the Bavarian sites and circumstances for the realization of new technological inventions were unusual. Baader used the transformation of the Nymphenburg castle park in Munich from the Baroque into the then fashionable English landscape garden as an opportunity to install new pumps for powerful fountain jets.
The castle park also served him as a proving ground for the demonstration of other new technologies (transportation systems, steam engines and gas light). The presentation will illustrate Baader’s activities with authentic documents, drawings, photographs and videos. The fountains at Nymphenburg are still driven by Baader’s hydraulic machinery which can be observed in operation at the original site.

Armour for the Grand Fleet
2020-03-10 18:30 | PORTSMOUTH Hood Room, The Royal Maritime Club, 78-80 Queen Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3HS
A presentation by David Boursnell – Developing steel armour from 1890 to 1916.

Discovering Sheffield Castle – Excavation & Analysis 1927–2020
2020-03-10 17:30 | SHEFFIELD Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria, Victoria Station Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S4 7YE
Ken Barraclough Memorial Lecture – A presentation by Prof. John Moreland, University Of Sheffield & Millie Rajice.

Henry Beighton
2020-03-04 19:00 | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
THE KEY TO UNLOCKING THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE NEWCOMEN ENGINE: Suhail Rana discusses his research on this engineer and surveyor

Why Britain’s Railways Stuck With Steam Into The Space Age
2020-02-25 18:30 - 20:15 | MANCHESTER Alliance Française, 125 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4QD
JOINT MEETING WITH THE STEPHENSON LOCOMOTIVE SOCIETY: A presentation by Bob Gwynne (National Railway Museum, York) – This talk examines some of the complex history behind moving on from the steam age on Britain’s railways and attempts to answer why the UK’s love affair with the steam engine hasn’t ended.
‘‘Sticking with Steam”. A look at why Britain’s railways stayed loyal to Georgian technology into the ‘Space Age’
Why did British Railways stick with steam traction for so long? Britain had long supplied electric railways equipment overseas and most UK railway engineers had long accepted that the future was in electric traction for most routes. This thought provoking paper spans from 1801 to 1958 and explores the complex interplay between government, economics, and engineers in shaping technical choices and considers some of the influences that led to steam locomotives remaining as a prime mover on Britain’s railways into the ‘Space Age’.
On the way, the paper will look at some little-known engineers such as Tommy Hornbuckle, Donald Watkins, Emil Reichel, Henry O’Brien, Alan Chorlton, and Henry Richards. This brand-new paper offers a fascinating exploration of both railway history and the broader drivers of technical change in industry.
Bob Gwynne is an associate curator at the National Railway Museum, makes regular television appearances discussing railway history and practice and gave the excellent paper on the Flying Scotsman to the Society in 2017.

Forging Identity: How People and Metal Shape Each Other
2020-02-24 18:30 - 20:15 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
A presentation by Professor Julian Allwood – This is a joint meeting with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

The Brunel Institute & Library
2020-02-20 19:30 | BRISTOL BAWA, 589 Southmead Rd, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7RG
A presentation by Nicholas Booth

From Airships to the Space Race (After AGM)
2020-02-12 17:45 | LONDON Dana Centre, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
SOME WOMEN AND THEIR ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENTS: (Following the AGM) A presentation by Dr Nina Baker – bringing to life engineering stories with which members may not be so familiar – those of some pioneering women engineers in the past century. From the women who made the first airships and the woman who made her name in their design, these stories will move onto the multitude of ‘lady boffins’ at the Royal Aircraft Establishment who helped take British aviation from biplanes to the first steps into space.

Pioneers of Armour Plate
2020-02-11 18:30 | PORTSMOUTH Hood Room, The Royal Maritime Club, 78-80 Queen Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3HS
A presentation by David Boursnell – The manufacture of iron plate in the 1860s.

The First 100 Years of Wireless Communication at Sea
2020-02-05 19:00 | BIRMINGHAM Think Tank, Birmingham Science Museum,, Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 7XG
THE LONG SILENCE FALLS: Dr John Moyle examines aspects of this transformative technology

1st-3rd Industrial Revolution
2020-01-28 18:30 | MANCHESTER Alliance Française, 125 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 4QD
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: A presentation by Robert Taylor (Newcomen Society)

Who Designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge
2020-01-27 18:30 - 20:15 | SHEFFIELD Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 8RG
FACT AND FICTION: A presentation by Julia Elton – This is a joint meeting with the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society
The meeting will be followed by the Branch Annual General Meeting

Joint Meeting with BIAS
2020-01-16 19:30 | BRISTOL Industrial Archaeology Society, Keynsham British Legion, Charlton Road, Keynsham, Somerset, BS31 2JA
Joint meeting with Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society (BIAS) – Speakers to be advised

Failures of Marine Medium Speed Diesel Engines
2020-01-14 18:30 | PORTSMOUTH Hood Room, The Royal Maritime Club, 78-80 Queen Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3HS
A presentation by Peter Filcek

Metallurgical Myths of 18th Century Iron Making
2020-01-08 17:45 | LONDON Dana Centre, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
A presentation by Richard Williams –
A ferrous metallurgist with a doctorate in metallurgical thermodynamics and 10 years’ experience of the foundry industry, Richard Williams has for the last seven years been studying both the science and the history of the change from charcoal to coke in all the iron making processes of the 18th Century, the essential pre-requisites for the industrial revolution. During that period our knowledge of the subject has improved significantly. His updating of ‘myths’ will include (inter alia) the extent of the foundry industry that existed before Darby, the manner in which a small cold blast coke furnace really worked, the role of the Newcomen engine in allowing coke iron to be used in the forges for the first time and the real reason why Cort’s puddling process, as detailed in his patent, did not work.

Development of Rail: London Docklands
2019-12-11 17:45 | LONDON Dana Centre, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, Kensington, London, SW7 5HD
A presentation by Jon Willis –
London Docklands has seen two periods of intensive development. The first period in the early 19th Century saw the creation of the working docks. The second period followed their demise and has spanned the period from the 1980’s to the present day. Railways played an important role in serving the working docks from the mid-19th Century onwards and they are now again a vital part of the regeneration process.

The lecture will briefly cover the creation of the docks and the plans for regeneration following their demise. It will cover the early proposals for transport solutions, the ideas for Underground extensions and the background to the selection of the Initial Docklands Light Railway (DLR). With the sudden massive forecasted increase in employment and population in the late 1980’s, the lecture will cover the need for the expansion of the DLR, followed by the Jubilee Line extension and finally Crossrail which will provide a major new strategic service for Docklands.
