Boiler by James Watt's Cottage, Bo'ness, Bo'Ness, Falkirk

Description

1768, single storey, 3-bay symmetrical cottage with a large iron cylinder from a Newcomen engine to the southwest. The cottage and cylinder are located to the southwest of Kinneil House next to the Gil Burn. The rubble built cottage is roofless and has no windows or doors (2017).

Statement of Interest

This former workshop is unique as it is the only surviving building in Scotland that can be directly associated with James Watt's pioneering experiments towards inventing his steam engine. His experiments in this workshop were fundamental in proving his principles and while here he lodged the patent for the engine which he went on to invent and changed the world.

Age and Rarity

James Watt (1736-1819) was an inventor, mechanical engineer and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen s 1712 steam engine. Watt's steam engine, developed between 1765 and 1776, was fundamental in revolutionising industry in both Great Britain and the rest of the world.

Born in Greenock, Watt worked as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow and he became interested in the technology of steam engines. Whilst repairing a working model of Newcomen's steam engine, he realised that the engine wasted a great deal of energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder.

Watt came up with an improvement to the design - a separate chamber to condense the steam without cooling the piston and cylinder walls. This avoided wasting energy and radically improved the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines. Watt s engine s efficiency was more than double that of the Newcomen engine. He would go on to adapt his engine to produce rotary motion, which was more suitable for industrial power than the oscillating beam of Newcomen s engine and greatly broadened its use beyond pumping water.

It took nearly 15 years of testing and changes to the design for Watt to perfect his steam engine. There were three significant phases of experimentation in Scotland.

The first phase was between 1765 and 1766. Watt designed his engine and conducted initial tests in Glasgow. However, his workshop was too small and Watt wanted to build and test a large engine in secret. Kinneil estate had the necessary space and privacy.

During the 1760s Kinneil estate was leased by Dr John Roebuck. Roebuck established the Carron Iron Foundry in 1760 and to support the foundry he leased the Duke of Hamilton's coal and saltworks at Bo'ness. This lease included Kinneil House. The coal mines in Bo'ness were very wet and it was costly for Roebuck to remove the water from them with the Newcomen steam engine. Consequently when Roebuck was introduced to Watt he was very interested in the mechanical and commercial success of his potential engine.

By the end of 1765 Roebuck provided some financial support to Watt by paying off his debts, in return for two thirds ownership of the invention. On 10 November 1765 Watt sent Roebuck a drawing of an inverted cylinder, which was to be cast and bored at Carron. This cylinder was for a larger engine which was to be built and tested in one of the offices at Kinneil House.

The second phase of experiments all took place in Glasgow, at Watt's workshop at the Delftfield pottery. Although Watt didn't complete his engine, his tests enabled him to take out a patent for 'A new method of lessening the consumption of steam and fuel on fire engines' in January 1769.

The third and final phase of experiments were carried out between 1769 and 1770 at Kinneil House. In a letter from Watt to Roebuck of 9 November 1768 Watt said 'I think the best place will be to erect a small house in the glen behind Kinneil.' The engine was erected the following summer and the experiments commenced in September. These experiments were inconclusive with Watt complaining that the quality of workmanship of the Carron ironworks hindered him from creating a workable engine. In 1770 Watt abandoned his experiments and for the next few years was busy working as a land surveyor and civil engineer for income.

When Roebuck went bankrupt in 1773, Matthew Boulton agreed to support Watt and bought Roebuck's share of the patent. In May 1773 all of Watt's equipment at Kinneil was dismantled and moved to Boulton's iron foundry in Soho, Birmingham. The Soho works was founded in 1775 and Watt's first large steam engines were working the following year. The oldest surviving engine, 'Old Bess', dates from 1777. This engine worked until 1848 and is now in the Science Museum in London.

Watt's workshop at Kinneil was not dismantled or changed after his departure. The water supply for the steam engine made it ideal for a washing house.

A large iron cylinder from a Newcomen engine is beside the workshop. This cylinder was used by Watt to drain the Schoolyard Pit in Bo ness. This pit was worked by Roebuck to provide coal for Carron and a variety of secondary sources state that the engine and the pit helped Watt conduct his experiments. It was purchased by the Bo ness Gas Company and in 1946 Bo'ness Town Council became the custodians of the 3-ton steam engine cylinder and it was moved to its present location. The Northern Mill Engine Society Collection website describes it as a rare surviving example of a Newcomen engine cylinder.

Although James Watt did not invent his steam engine in this workshop behind Kinneil House, his experiments here were fundamental in helping to prove his principles. While here he also lodged the patent for the engine which he went on to invent and which changed the world. The workshop is unique as the only surviving building in Scotland that can be directly associated with Watt and his pioneering experiments.

Architectural or Historic Interest

Interior

Only the remnants of a large fireplace on the south wall survive in the interior of the cottage. There are no fixtures and fittings that directly evidence Watt's mid-18th century experiments.

Plan form

The workshop has a door in two of its elevations for ease of access and two windows to provide good lighting for experiments. The cottage has not been extended and the footprint of the building remains the same when used by Watt.

Technological excellence or innovation, material or design quality

In terms of material or design quality the building is simple and modest. The building has lost its roof, windows and doors.

Photographs that probably date from the mid 20 century show the workshop with a tall pyramid shaped roof with pantiles. The height of the roof was unusual for the size of the cottage and would have been necessary to accommodate a model or an experimental engine.

Setting

The proximity of the cottage to Kinneil House marks the relationship between the eminent former inhabitants of these buildings: the patron and his inventor. From Kinneil House, Roebuck could clearly oversee the experiments without having direct involvement. Watt also used Roebuck's resources in his experiments with cylinders being cast at his ironworks.

It is clear from correspondence between Watt and Roebuck that he required privacy for his groundbreaking experiments. The secluded setting of the workshop still remains today. It is surrounded by trees and not visible from the main approach to Kinneil House.

The cottage is built next to the steep banks of a burn. The burn was required to drive water wheels to aid the timing of the piston stroke and the action of the condenser. Wooden troughs were likely used to direct the water into an assembly area in front of the cottage where Watt's improved steam engine presumably stood.

The engine would have had a substantial wooden frame, with supporting beams 14 inches square, and a boiler 5½ feet in diameter at the base. However, this frame does not survive.

Regional variations

There are no known regional variations.

Close Historical Associations

This cottage was built for James Watt to conduct his experiments for the steam engine, which has been described as an invention that changed the world. Watt is internationally significant and the SI (Système Internationale) unit of power was named after him in recognition of his contribution to science. Watt and Boulton were elected fellows of the Royal Society in 1785.

External Links

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