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Stone Mill Trowbridge Beam Engine

Stone Mill Trowbridge

Steam Power -Arrival of the Beam Engine.

In 1780 James Pickard patented the crank, by which a beam engine could be made to turn a wheel. The first recorded use of a rotative engine to drive textile machinery comes from 1785-6, and by 1800 steam power was widely used in the West Riding factories. Many engines were supplied by Boulton and Watt of Birmingham, but there were local makers as well.

Trowbridge clothiers took up steam power with greater enthusiasm then those of any other local town. This was mainly because of the poorness of its water power compared to either Bradford or Frome. By 1857, it is said that there were more than 30 engines at work in the town.

After Strange and Webber acquired Stone Mill they extended it and fitted a 36 h.p. engine by 'Boulton and Watt', which was certainly at work by 1823. It was still in Stone Mill when it was for sale in 1871.

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Remnants of the Beam Engine.

Bram Engine Remains

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Bram Engine Remains
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Stone Mill 1983
Stone Mill

Stone Mill

Stone Mill

'Princess' Beam Engine
Stone Mills

Arc left on the wall by the flywheel rim of the beam engine. The square holes in an arc correspond to a 'barring rack' which would usually be a cast iron frame bolted to the wall. A long metal bar is used to lever the flywheel round by literally walking it against a spoke and moving to each hole in turn until the next spoke is on the rack, and can be levered along.

Barring was neccesary because with a single crank engine you could sometimes come to rest at 'dead centre', so called because it is impossible to restart from that position. The engine would then need to be manually barred to a position where it could be started.

The above shows an example of a barring rack on the 'Princess' engine at Etruria Industrial Museum, Stoke on Trent.