120 Years of Engineering History
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The firm that Boulton and Watt established to make steam engines lasted for over 120 years. It grew from a few small workshops at Boulton's Soho Manufactory. In 1796 a dedicated factory, Soho Foundry, was built at Smethwick and engines were made there until the early 1900s.
| Boulton and Watt's sons, M.R. Boulton and James Watt Jr, guided the firm into the 1840s, branching out into steam boat engines. The business continued as ‘James Watt & Co’ until 1895, when Soho Foundry was bought by W&T Avery. |
| Right: Soho Foundry Foremen, Handsworth, 1895 |
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The firm's archive illustrates everything, from Watt's first engines for pumping water out of mines to huge boat engines. The engines are depicted on thousands of drawings, many beautifully coloured. There are sketches of William Murdock's gas lighting system and more surprising products include fire extinguishing systems for mills, apparatus for treating tuberculosis, and railway turntables.
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Left: Drawing of an 8 horse power engine, 1789. This
was the first engine bought by a Manchester Cotton Mill
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The Boulton and Watt Archive holds a wealth of information about engineering, its impact upon society, and the people who worked with it, providing a legacy of industrial history from one of Birmingham's most celebrated firms.
Right: The Steamboat ‘Caledonia’ owned by
James Watt Jnr and Matthew Robinson
Boulton, and used for Boat Engine Trials |
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| The Boulton & Watt Archive contains the records of the steam engine business, including drawings, correspondence with customers, financial and production records, and records from the firm’s London office and banking agency. |
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