Material added by Birmingham Library

These records are extremely miscellaneous in their scope and content. They range from some contemporary letters of James Watt acquired by the Library, through a wealth of printed items, to notes and facsimiles made as recently as the 1970s. Much of the material illustrates how Boulton & Watt have been regarded and studied over the years, while others add historical detail. Of particular interest for the former is a complete set of printed brochures and programmes from the James Watt centenary celebrations held in Birmingham in 1919.

The records are arranged as follows:
Original Letters of James Watt
Printed Patent Specifications
Photographs and Drawings
Correspondence, Papers, Transcripts, Facsimiles and Research Notes
Articles, Pamphlets, Cuttings etc.
The James Watt Centenary, 1919
Miscellaneous
Copies of Material relating to Boulton & Watt in other Repositories

More detailed information on each series is given in the Description field, while reference numbers and covering dates of the actual records, and a list of the old reference numbers will be found in the pdf of the full series list attached. Item level lists are available in the searchroom of Birmingham Archives and Heritage.

There are no restrictions on access to or use of the Material added by Birmingham Library. However fragile items or those in a poor state of repair may not be served at the discretion of the Duty Archivist.
MS 3147/32/38. Catalogue of the sale of the contents of Heathfield Hall, 23 and 24 Nov. 1920.

The Boulton & Watt collection was given to the Birmingham Library by George Tangye in 1911, but it was not physically moved until 1915.The Library and the City Archives added various items to the collection, mainly 19th and 20th century illustrative material.