Drawings – ‘Science Museum’ Portfolios

MS 3147/7

Drawings – ‘Science Museum’ Portfolios

1801-1919

The drawings were given to the museum in a set of five wooden boxes and a large portfolio. Only in the material in the two smaller wooden boxes was any original arrangement discernable. Three original portfolio covers were found in these boxes, as follows:

Centrifugal and other pumps, Shill’s Pulveriser.
Banbury, Indian Midland Railway, Wethered, Brighton, Southwark, Newark.
Hydraulic press and 9 inch hoop mill.

The material in the three large boxes and the portfolio was in an extremely disordered state. Most of it was similar to the material in the Avery’s portfolios, that is to say some drawings of specific engines, but mainly sets of drawings of particular components and types of machinery. There was a large number of miscellaneous items which had been gathered together as being of particular historical interest, for example the drawings of the early Glasgow steamers, and the map of Sutton Park.

There were also some items belonging to the main deposit (i.e. the material which George Tangye acquired in 1895 which Avery’s did not retain), which had been borrowed from the Library by the museum at various times, including the James Watt Centenary celebrations of 1919. These items were restored to their original locations and are detailed in the appendix to this list.

Apart from the three portfolios whose original contents were clear, the Science Museum drawings have been arranged in a similar fashion to the Avery’s portfolios. There are portfolios of components such as cranks, working gear etc., and also portfolios dedicated to particular engines, for example Chatham Dockyard or Great Grimsby Water Works. There are also drawings of non-engine products, such as hydraulic machinery, furnaces, and Shill’s patent rock pulveriser.

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 and an index list of customers are available in the searchroom of Birmingham Archives and Heritage.

40 Portfolios

There are no restrictions on access to or use of the Boulton & Watt ‘Science Museum’ Drawings. However fragile items or those in a poor state of repair may not be served at the discretion of the Duty Archivist. This applies to several later drawings on tracing paper.
Also it should be noted that any drawing bearing watercolour washes cannot be photocopied, as the light and heat from the copier badly degrades the colours. Therefore any drawing in the detailed lists described as ‘coloured’ or ‘partially coloured’ cannot be copied. However, researchers are allowed to take digital images – please consult the Research Room staff for details.

The history and development of Boulton & Watt?s Drawing Office has been discussed in the previous two lists (MS 3147/5 ? Drawings, Main Series and MS 3147/6 ? Drawings, ?Avery? Portfolios).