| Description | Water Works Engines (40 items).
1117. Chelsea Water Works, London (L). 1808, Dec. 1809, Jan., Jul., Aug., Dec. 1810, Jan., Apr.-Jun. 1811, Nov. 1821, Jun., Jul. 1822, Aug. 1843. 40 items.
Single-acting engine, with 50 inch cylinder, 8 foot stroke, parallel motion, cast iron beam.
Plans and schemes for the engine house etc., 1808-1810:
Coloured plan, sections and elevation of proposed engine houses, 1808 (the plan shows 4 engines, 4 boilers and 4 pump wells connected to the Hyde Park, Piccadilly and Westminster mains); section of engine house marked "Scheme for Chelsea Water Works 1808"; elevation and plan of engine house, Dec. 1809 - coloured original and reverse drawings (the reverse drawing bears a letter code, both drawings are marked "D__d" (these drawings show a plan for 4 engines); coloured elevation of engine house and sketch section of a crank engine, circa Dec. 1809 (this drawing was originally pinned to the original of the Dec. 1809 drawing); section and plan of wells and suction pipes marked "from Mr. Simpson's drawing of 30 Jan. 1810"; coloured "Plan of the Foundations of Chelsea Water Works new Engines", marked "Received from Mr. Simpson 24 Jul. 1810" (this plan is for two large and two smaller engines"); coloured plan of engine house and sections of foundations and pumps etc., both marked "with Mr. Simpson's letter 19 Dec. 1810"; coloured plan of the engine house and drawings of pumps etc. (this shows engines with 36, 44, 48 and 50 inch cylinders).
Drawings of the engine and pumps, 1810-1811:
Reverse ground plan of the engine house (showing spaces for 4 engines), ground plan of the boiler house, longitudinal section of the engine house, longitudinal section of the boiler house, cross-section of the engine house (showing spaces for 4 engines), cross-section of the boilers, plan of the tunnels (tunnels shown for 2 engines); air vessel - 2 sheets of reverse drawings; jackhead, working barrel, suction pipe and lower clack piece, upper clack piece and part of air vessel, outside view of the pump and air vessel, sections and plans of clack etc. - partially coloured original and partially coloured reverse drawings; air pump, condenser and injection gear -partially coloured direct copy and partially coloured reverse drawing (the reverse drawing was also used for engines OO & PP, Birmingham Canal, Caponfield, and for the New River Co.); spring beams - sketch and reverse drawing; parts of bang machine - partially coloured reverse drawing; double clack - partially coloured original and partially coloured reverse drawings. All these drawings bear letter coded.
Also the following later items: coloured section of bang apparatus and suggested alterations for the weights [not dated, circa 1821]; sketch of copper boiler, Nov. 1821; 2 sketches for new working barrel, Jun. & Jul. 1821; air pump, condenser and injection cock - partially coloured copy of 1811 drawing made in Aug. 1843.
Original Portfolio or 'Book' No. 633. Catalogue of Old Engines p. 178.
For Chelsea Water Works. Pumping engine, Chelsea, London. The 54 inch engine of 1821 was erected alongside this engine [see Portfolio 5/1115]. Chelsea Water Works bought several engines other than this one. The first was in 1777-1778 [see Portfolio 5/1103]. John Farey described an engine with a fly wheel and rotative motion erected in 1782 at Pimlico Wharf [A Treatise on the Steam Engine, p. 352]; when he inspected it in 1803-1804 it had a crank. Dickinson & Jenkins describe this engine as being similar to the rotative one proposed for the New River Co. in 1782-1783 [see Portfolio 5/1090], but no drawings specifically for Chelsea have been found. A 48 inch engine was erected at Pimlico Wharf in 1803-1804 [see Portfolio 5/1116]. In 1810 the firm this engine, and in 1821 a 54 inch engine was ordered [see Portfolio 5/1115] and erected alongside this engine.
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