Technical Info | Technical Information |
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 The Bull engine is named after the Cornish inventor Edward
Bull, a friend of Richard Trevithick. It was built by Harvey & Co
in 1856, although it was not run
until 1859. A Bull engine differs from a traditional Cornish beam
enigne in that the steam cylinder is inverted
over the pump and thus dispenses with the need for a main beam. This
design meant that a Bull engine took up about half the space of a beam
engine of similar pumping capacity.Although our Bull engine appears to have been used mainly as a standby
for the 90" and 100" engines it has suffered phenomenal wear through
it's working life, possibly because the design of the engine makes
maintenance an awkward task.
Ours is the largest known surviving Bull
engine, and the only one in its original engine house. We also believe
that ours will be the sole Bull engine to return to steam, an event
which is scheduled to happen in 2007.
The engine's prime purpose was delivery to the Grand Junction Company's high level reservoirs at Campden Hill near Notting Hill Gate. The engine operated from 1859 until the end of the second world war in 1945. The shut down instruction bore the annotation "Subject to alteration as this is a standby unit". |
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