Phineas Crowther of Newcastle upon Tyne patented his design for a vertical pistoned engine in 1800.
Dispensing with the beam, widely used in earlier designs, the engine revolutionised the raising of men and coal from the region’s mines.
His single cylinder, lever type, vertical winding engine was to become the principal type used in the North of England. The ‘Crowther’ Engine was produced from 1800 until 1890, principally, by J & G Joicey of Newcastle and Murrays of Chester-le-Street.
This is the last surviving Crowther engine to be in steam in the UK.
Invented by Phineas Crowther (1763-1818)
On display in the Colliery Winder House.at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
www.beamish.org.uk
