Pre-visit exhibition walkthrough

The Boulton and Watt engine

Go on a journey to discover this amazing steam engine, engineer James Watt, entrepreneur Matthew Boulton, and the world in the late 1700s.

Boulton & Watt engine

Galleries behind

the engine

This exhibition walkthrough provides an overview of the:

• Physical layout and exhibition sections

• Key objects

• Audiovisual and interactive

• Relevant online teaching and learning resources

Exhibition entrance

Boulton & Watt

Level 3

Boulton and Watt engineThe oldest surviving rotative engine in the world.

• See it in action (live or on screen) – work out how the parts act together using energy in steam to turn the drive wheel, which can turn other machines

• Find out how this 1785 engine got here from London’s Whitbread brewery • Find out how engines such as this transformed the way people lived and

worked

connecting rod

beam/rocking arm

planet gear

fly wheel

cylinder

condenser(in tank)

piston rod

Boulton and Watt engine

drive wheel

sun gear

1. the separate condenser -reducing fuel use by 85%

2. the parallel motion mechanism -allowing the piston to push the beam up as well as pulling it down

3. the sun and planet gears - turning the up-and-down motion of the beam into rotative motion

4. the governor -automatically controlling the speed of the engine

Innovations that Boulton and

Watt introduced:

3

4

2

1

James Watt was also the first to surround the

cylinder with wood to keep it hot

the ‘original’ piston and piston rod

What’s behind the Boulton and Watt engine?

Visit the galleries

behind the engine.

Gallery 1: Explore the lives of Boulton and Watt

Making money with steamBoulton applied steam power to coin making, one example was the Imperial Bank Mint at

St Petersburg

James Watt: the Scottish instrument maker who was the creative genius

behind the engine

Some of the original Boulton and Watt engine parts

Octant

Matthew Boulton: the entrepreneur who saw the potential of the engine and

supplied the finance and manufacturing know-how

Medals, tokens, plaques and coins made in mints such as Boulton’s Soho Mint, Birmingham, England

Samuel Whitbread: the progressive brewer who used the steam engine to revolutionise the brewing industry

Discover more about Boulton, Watt and their world in the levels above, using the stairway next to the Strasburg Clock

Gallery 2

Gallery 3

Gallery 4

Gallery 2: Explore the lives of Boulton and Watt

The governor interactiveBoulton saw a governor in a grain mill and asked Watt to

apply the idea to control engine speed

Engine indicatorThis is another invention of James Watt. Learn more

about it on your way down from the galleries above using the other stairway

The governor interactive See how the governor works

Gallery 3: Find out why Boulton, Watt and their friends were known as ‘lunatics’

Jasperware jewellery made by Matthew Boulton and Josiah Wedgwood

The Soho Manufactory

Soho Foundry

Soho Insurance

Co

Union certificate

Birmingham riot 1792 Birmingham

Coffee potThis belonged to Joseph Banks, the botanist who sailed to Australia with Captain Cook. Banks met Boulton and Watt at meetings of the Lunar Society

Gallery 4: Experiment with more of Watt’s inventions and catch a glimpse of life in the 1700s.

The parallel motion mechanism interactive

The sun and planet gear interactive

From single acting to double acting interactiveSee how the parallel motion mechanism (right) allows the top of the cylinder to be sealed while letting the piston push the end of the beam up as well as pulling it down (double acting)

Bear baiting Gin lane

The cockpit

The blacksmith’s shop

Discussing an orrery

Bird in an air pump

From up and down to round and round interactive• See how the planet gear drive the sun gear and the flywheel as you move

the beam up and down• To move the beam, you will need to give the flywheel a little push if one of

the gears is directly above the other• Count the number of turns the sun gear and flywheel make for every stroke

of the beam

The engine indicator another of James Watt’s invention

You can see this on the way down the other stairs

Online resources:-• Boulton and Watt engine at the Powerhouse Museum - this includes an 11-min

illustrated talk by curator, Debbie Rudder, and panorama view of the engine

• Boulton and Watt engine, Powerhouse Museum online collection database

• 225th Birthday of our Boulton and Watt engine, Object of the week blog of the Powerhouse Museum

• Science Museum’s online animation showing the motion of the Boulton and Watt engine

• The Boulton and Watt collection, Birmingham City Council

• Matthew Boulton: Bicentenary celebrations 2009, Birmingham City Council

Relevant Museum programs:-• Steam revolution exhibition

• Locomotive No 1 exhibition

• Transport exhibition

• Marvellous Machine Drawing Adventure, a self guided program for yrs 3-5

Image credit: All images used are from the Powerhouse Museum

-: Powerhouse Museum Learning :-