300 year of steampower - Newcomen 1712 - July 9-13th.

[Admiral_dk]

The first Newcomen low pressure steam engine is from 1712 and will be celebrated July 9th to 13th :

The Engine House
Mayors Avenue,
Dartmouth TQ6 9YY
+44 (0)1803 834224

+ Here : http://www.bclm.co.uk

And it's 200 years for Richard Trevithick first high pressure steam engine, so there's a lot for the steam member here to celebrate.

 

[Admiral_dk]

I must admit that I'm somewhat surprised that no one of our steam enthusiasts have responded - not so much about the link to the copy - but the fact that we wouldn't have the Industrial revolution without these two men and their inventions.

So a triple and double centennial this year, ought to be celebrated all over the western world !!!!

 

[Blogwitch]

Actually, the industrial revolution started just down the road from there, in the Ironbridge Gorge.

http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/

Both of these are less than 1 hours easy drive from where I live, but there is no way you would catch me going there.

They are just money making organisations, just like funfares, importing attractions from all over the place, and not really showing much of what it was like, but what they think you would like to see.

In the 1970's, I used to fish all along the river Severn in this gorge, even under the Iron Bridge itself, for nothing more than the cost of a river Severn fishing licence, about 1 US$. Nowadays they most probably want cash so you can take a picture of the bridge from half a mile away. Tourism gone mad.

It would be just as well myself putting a sign outside my house offering guided tours of my shop for 15 pounds a time. Some idiot would pay to have a look around.

These money making enterprises are springing up all over the place, and to me, they leave a bad taste in my mouth.
It is our heritage, and it should either be free or just a small donation to see. As it is, with the cost of even a short journey, it would cost around 100 UK pounds (about 150 US bucks) for myself and grandson to have a visit there.

Sad times nowadays, and we don't need to be reminded of them.


John

That should get you a bit of response.

 

[Admiral_dk]

Hi John

Thanks for your response - I wasn't thinking about the commercial side of the jubilee, but I must admit that things aren't exactly going the way I would prefer myself and I'm certainly saddened by the fact that almost everything is evaluated on money nowadays :'(

I agree that I put a link in my first post that referred to one of the locations that are making money of the event - I thought more of it as a quick and easy way to put a location on the map, when I posted it.

From another point : I've read the history about steam as a kid and like most people, have the notion that we can thank James Watt for steam engines, even though that I should know better (he improved the Newcomen engine, but was dead against high pressure steam engines, that Trevithick did as the next big progress).

I was hoping for some recognition for those two gents, that they really deserve.