NEWSLETTER 162 WINTER 2013 Reg. Charity Seasonal1 greetings from Wheal Harriet, Dolcoath No. 246586 CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS What a Year! There comes a time of year when we put on warmer clothes, look back with some satisfaction and forward with anticipation. While always wishing we had achieved more, it’s been a good year for the Society in many ways. On the publication side we sold out of The Oblivion of Trevithick and From Holman Bros. to CompAir, reprinting the latter. We also published and reprinted The Genius of Trevithick, and closed the year by publishing two weighty, important books, Devon Great Consols and The History of Camborne School of Mines. There was excitement in the form of a trip to a little French village with the 1801 Trevithick replica where we made international friends and subsequently received an invitation to take it to Suffolk next year. We successfully sought funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to record and digitise of our ever increasing stock of papers, films, images and artefacts for worldwide use. We congratulated Cornwall Council on its successful bid to the HLF for over £1 million to create a centre for Cornish mining history at King Edward Mine. The East Cornwall branch has continued to prosper in the hands of the Manley Team and has been a rich source of new members. Kingsley has given a number of lectures connected to Cornwall’s industrial past and I have been fortunate enough to give Trevithick lectures to the Cornish Diaspora in California, combining the trip with a visit to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. We have negotiated with Coastline Housing Ltd to lease a former Holman building in Camborne as a home for the Society and we are currently awaiting the outcome of a Change of Use Planning Application. As we go to press we are making arrangements for one of the most exciting local events of the coming year, a firework and illumination display at Heartlands on the evening of Camborne Trevithick Day; watch the next newsletter for further information. All in all it’s been a good year and there are good things to come. All the above has taken a lot of organising and plenty of hard work. You can see that our interests are wide ranging, appeal to many tastes and usually don’t require any special skills; we have fun. Come and join us if you have a little time to spare, we promise it will be interesting. In the meantime we wish you and yours the Compliments of the Season. Philip M Hosken EDITORIAL I wish to thank the contributors for their timely submissions which have enabled this issue to be completed in 2013. Colin French Copy date for next newsletter: February 15th 2014 Established 1935 2 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LISKEARD TOWN MUSEUM Dear Editor, As a septuagenarian member of the Society, I was particularly delighted to read in the latest Newsletter of the Society’s enterprise in attending the celebrations in Chitenay earlier this year. It was heartening to reflect how substantial have been the Society’s practical achievements since I ceased to serve on the Council some 20 years ago. I have no doubt that international recognition of Richard Trevithick’s engineering achievements will have been permanently enhanced by the successful construction and demonstration of the Puffing Devil. The welcome you evidently received in Chitenay will have helped to create many new friendships. I enjoyed a similar welcome in September this year when I went to nearby Members, who like me regularly Orleans for the River Loire festival. For no pass through East Cornwall, may like to less than six days I and a Dutch colleague consider a comfort stop in Liskeard and on the executive committee of European then take in the town’s excellent museum. Maritime Heritage were accommodated The museum, which shares premises in in a local hotel and fed generously at a the former East Cornwall Savings Bank with the local TIC, is a model of what a succession of open-air meals cooked on town museum should be and has strong the bank of the Loire, between frequent community involvement. Of particular excursions on the river; memorable and interest is the Mining Room, which has generous hospitality. been set up with the help of the Society’s The article in the Newsletter East Cornwall Branch. A star exhibit there postulates that one day the Society will is a large working model of a man-engine, maybe do something like this again. I hope constructed in Meccano by Michael that aspiration is fulfilled, and applaud the Denny of Herodsfoot, and captured in this hard work and dedication of you and your photograph by Jackie Jenkins. team in getting the replica to Chitenay and using it so effectively to promote Cornwall Graham Thorne and the Society there. John Robinson. 3 Three of these rotative beam FENLAND ROTATIVE BEAM engines have survived in their original ENGINES, A CASTLE AND engine houses and are well worth a visit. LANCASTER BOMBERS They are: Dogdyke Pumping Station, Pinchbeck Engine and Stretham Old The Fenlands, locally known Engine. Of the three only the Dogdyke as the Fens, is an area of approximately engine is able to be operated by steam, 1500 square miles (3900 square km) the remaining two are operated by electric situated around the western areas of The motor for demonstration purposes. Wash in Eastern England. Main areas of the Fens are to be found in the counties of Stretham Old Engine Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and a small area of North West Suffolk. The Fens were originally a natural marshy region which over the centuries has had many attempts to drain it for agricultural purposes, with the earliest attempts being made by the Romans. Drainage of the Fens has always been a major problem due to the low lying nature of the terrain with many acres being just above sea level or just below. To effectively drain the Fens water has to be raised from the lower levels into the upper drainage This is located just south of channels in order to get the water flowing Stretham village in Cambridgeshire (Grid away to the sea. The main outlets to the Ref. TL815729) – height above sea level sea being the rivers; Great Ouse, Nene 8 feet – sign posted off the A1123 trunk and Welland flowing out into The Wash. road. Originally supplied by The Butterley Major strides were made in Company Ltd in 1831, the engine is a 60 drainage when wind pumps were introduced nominal BHP double acting condensing throughout the Fens, but these only worked rotative beam engine with a bore of 39 when the wind blew – a bit like the present inches (99cm) and a stroke of 96 inches day electric wind turbines! The wind pump (2.4 metre) operating at between 12 and is a simple device consisting of a small 16 strokes per minute. windmill driving a scoop wheel to raise the The engine is gear coupled, via water from lower level to the upper level. beam and connecting rod, to a 37 feet- An example of one of these pumps can be 2 inch (11.3 metre) scoop wheel which found at the National Trust’s property of is just over 2 feet (0.72 metre) wide Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. having 48 paddles, or ladles, around its With the Industrial Revolution in circumference. The scoop wheel operates the late 17th century and early 18th century at between 3 to 4 rpm delivering about 100 and the introduction of steam power, tons of water per minute. wind pumps were gradually replaced by Also at Stretham Pump House the more “powerful” and reliable steam are various items connected with Fenland pumps. A great number of steam pumps drainage including Lancashire boilers, were installed across the Fens, many of diesel pumps and many more interesting them of the rotative beam engine design. items. Many of these engines were in operation Just 4.5 miles south east from right up to the middle of the 20th century, Stretham is the National Trust property to be gradually replaced by diesel pumps Wicken Fen (Grid ref. TL562705) – just or fully automatic electric pumps from the off the A1123 trunk road – which has a middle and latter half of the 20th century. small smock wind pump, probably built 4 around 1912 among its exhibits and is flywheel with a maximum operating speed demonstrated occasionally. of 30 rpm. The 22 feet (6.71 metre) diameter Pinchbeck Engine scoop wheel has 40 paddles around its circumference and is gear coupled to the engine crankshaft to reduce scoop rpm. Pumping capacity was 7500 imperial gallons (34000 litres) through a 8 feet (2.44 metre) lift into the drainage channel. The Pinchbeck Engine was replaced by modern fully automated electric pumps in 1952. The Pinchbeck Engine museum complex is also home to the Museum of Land Drainage which is located in the old coal store. Exhibits on display include the blacksmiths shop, still in its original condition, and various items connected This is located on the northern with Fenland drainage. The museum outskirts of Spalding in the South Holland buildings are Grade II listed and are also area of Lincolnshire (Grid ref. TF261261) a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the – height above sea level 10 feet. The care of the Welland and Deepings Internal Pinchbeck Engine is a 20 HP condensing Drainage Board. rotative beam engine built and supplied The engine is powered by by The Butterley Company Ltd in 1833. an electric motor for demonstration The engine has a single 35 inch (89 cm) purposes.