2007

SD7009 : Bolton Steam Museum - vertical engine

taken 17 years ago, near to Bolton, England

Bolton Steam Museum - vertical engine
Bolton Steam Museum - vertical engine
This small example of a vertical engine was used to pump water at Cellarsclough Mills at Marsden and was obtained by the Society in 1978 at the same time as the large McNaught compounded beam engine. Built by John Chadwick Ltd of Manchester, it was very badly damaged and has received a considerable amount of restoration in the museum workshops. It is particularly interesting because the governor directly controls a Chadwick patented valve that is integral with the valve chest. The single cylinder is 6" bore and 11" stroke with machined guide bars for the cross-head.
The Bolton Steam Museum

Bolton Steam Museum is operated by volunteers from the Northern Mill Engine Society (NMES) who have rescued 25 of the old stationary steam engines which once powered the cotton mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It has the largest collection of working steam mill engines in the UK and probably the largest in the world.

The original museum was first opened to the public in 1983 in one of the original engine-houses of Atlas No 3 Mill where 5 of the rebuilt engines could be seen working in steam and over the following 7 years it became a well-known attraction in the area. However, in 1990, the mill complex was sold for redevelopment as a retail supermarket and the museum was in the way. Fortunately, the new owners, William Morrison Supermarkets, were sympathetic to the Society's plight and undertook to relocate the museum into another building on the far side of the site. Unfortunately, this meant dismantling all the engines, moving all the parts into the new building and beginning the rebuilding work all over again but the society now has the security of a long lease and has spent the last 22 years reassembling its collection, which has now grown to some 27 engines, in the new premises. The new building is ideal for the museum, with plenty of natural lighting and full crane coverage to assist with moving and assembling the heavy engine parts.

The Society's collection of steam engines now represents one of the largest in the UK. Due the fact that work is still in progress, it is not yet possible to open the museum to the public on a regular basis, although special Steam Open Days are held each year.

LinkExternal link Northern Mill Engine Society website


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Chris Allen and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Primary Subject: Museum other tags: Bolton SteamMuseum Steam Engine (Preserved) Stationary Steam Engine Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Beam Engine [8] ·
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SD7009, 104 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Chris Allen   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 21 January, 2007   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 24 May, 2020
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 7000 0991 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:35.0947N 2:27.2780W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 7000 0991
View Direction
North-northeast (about 22 degrees)
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Image Type (about): close look  inside 
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