On Friday June 16, the EIL students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson visited the London Museum of Water and Steam (formerly Kew Bridge Steam Museum) at Kew Bridge. Although they were unable run most of the engines under steam due to the failing of their 90 year old Lancashire Boiler (failed it’s inspection in July 2022), the EIL students witnessed the running of the Dancer's End engine that takes its name from Lord Rothschild's estate at Dancer's End, near Tring, UK. That engine was built in 1867 by James Kay of Bury, Lancashire and was used to pump water from a well. The EIL students also saw the three-story Bull Engine (named for Cornish engineer Edward Bull) that began pumping in 1859. The group photo was taken with him in front of the Hathorn Davy Triple Expansion Engine. This engine is of fairly modern design and represents the most common type of pumping engine built for waterworks after about 1900.
The tour this year also
included the boiler room, tool and parts shop, and the Victorian tool
and blacksmith workshops. Read more about the challenge ahead in repairing/replacing the boiler for a more sustainable (and carbon-neutral) future of the Museum by clicking here.
Before
leaving the Museum, the students competed in an untouchable bubble relay. Several also joined Prof. Dickerson at nearby Kew Gardens, the home of the Royal Botanical Gardens.
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