First installation of James Watt's stationary rotary steam engine in a cotton mill

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Domains

Steam power

Dates

Date of occurrence 1783

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

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This was a crucial step in the application of the increasing power available from the improved Boulton-Watt steam engine to the enormous industrial spinning mills which Richard Arkwright had been developing since the 1770s. Such was the increasing efficiency of the Watt engine that Arkwright believed it worth trying and he installed steam power at his Albion Mill in London. Arkwright's installation proved a success, and by 1800 over five hundred Boulton-Watt engines were in place in mines and factories throughout Britain. For further information please see our article on the Industrial Revolution, 1750-1890.

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93 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "First installation of James Watt's stationary rotary steam engine in a cotton mill". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 December 2007; last revised 06 January 2009. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4206, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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