James Watt and Co
James Watt and Co of Soho Foundry, Birmingham.
1849 After the death of James Watt (Junior), the company changed its name from Boulton and Watt.
1849 Directory: Listed as Engineers
1851 Award at the 1851 Great Exhibition. See details at 1851 Great Exhibition: Reports of the Juries: Class V.
1856 Subscribed £100 to the Smith Testimonial Fund, commemorating the work of F. P. Smith in promoting the screw propeller.
1864 Four 125hp beam engines supplied to the Metropolitan Board of Works, Crossness Pumping Station, as part of Joseph Bazalgette's London Main Drainage Scheme.
1873 Four beam engines for London Main Drainage (Western Station, Chelsea). James Watt and Co
1877 Two Cornish engines for The South Staffordshire Waterworks Co (Moors Gorse Pumping Station). James Watt and Co
1876 Visit to their works described in 'The Engineer'. James Watt and Co
1883 Three engines for Hull Corporation (Main Drainage Station). James Watt and Co
1883 Engine for sewage pumping for Kingston-upon-Hull Corporation. (Exhibit at Birmingham Thinktank museum). James Watt and Co
1884 Beam pumping engines for Papplewick Pumping Station (see photo)
1895 The firm lasted over 120 years, and was still making steam engines but this was its last year of business
1906 An Inverted Vertical Triple Expansion Pumping Engine was supplied to the Brayton Works of the Selby and Pontefract Water Company. Although the engine was clearly marked "James Watt & Co, Soho, Birmingham", it may actually have been built by the new owners of the Soho Foundry (W. and T. Avery), still using the Watt name.
1911 The firm left an extremely detailed archive of its activities, which was given to the city of Birmingham
The oldest working engine in the world is Boulton and Watt's Smethwick Engine.
See Also
Sources of Information
- The Engineer of 28th July 1876 p60
- The Engineer of 11th June 1920 p597
- The Steam Engine in Industry by George Watkins in two volumes. Moorland Publishing. 1978. ISBN 0-903485-65-6
- History and Directory of Birmingham, 1849: Engineers