Details
Newcomen Beam Engine - S1.E4 - How Britain Worked

In this edition Guy's project is the first piston engine ever built.

The Newcomen Beam Engine was the first practical device to harness the power of steam and kick-started the Industrial Revolution by allowing coal mining to operate on an industrial scale.

Newcomen engines were used throughout Britain and Europe, principally to pump water out of mines, thereby allowing coal mining to go deeper and operate on a scale never before envisaged.

If Guy and the restoration team at the Black Country museum can restore their Beam Engine to full working order it will be the only working example of this ground-breaking technology in the world. Success would mean witnessing the glorious sight of one the Industrial Revolution's most impressive inventions running again just as it first did 300 Years ago.

Guy helps replace the rotting timber structure above the shaft, restore the worn parts and clean the boiler and he makes fire bricks the Victorian way to re-build crumbling brickwork around the engine.

Meanwhile he learns about the lives of the men women and children who went down the mines to dig for coal. Joined by his girlfriend Steph, Guy heads deep underground to dig for coal and experience the almost impossible conditions that miners worked in.

Back to main page

Newcomen Beam Engine - S1.E4 - How Britain Worked

November 11, 2012

Video reviews

There are no video reviews for this tv episode yet.

It looks like there are no video reviews for this tv episode yet. Have you watched it? Be the first one to upload a video review!

New video review
Video reviews
0 review(s)
Text reviews
0 review(s)

New to Criticate?

Sign up now to be able to rate and review games, movies and tv shows!

Sign up