This model of a steam powered telescope pile driver was built in 1893 by Sissons and White, an engineering firm once based in Hull.

The model is built at a 1:6 scale and depicts the machinery and supporting carriage of a late 19th century steam pile driver design. The full-sized pile driver would have been 40 feet tall and approximately 8 feet square. The machine and carriage would have weighed 7 tons, including the 1-ton monkey weight.

Pile drivers are large machines used to force long pillars called ‘piles’ (often wood or metal) into the ground, which become the supports for buildings and other constructions. The simplest designs of pile drivers have been used since for thousands of years, going back beyond the ancient romans. These were often moved and powered by humans or animals. By the mid-19th century, designs of much larger steam powered pile drivers were being developed.

Despite changes in their size, and how they are powered, pile drivers operate using the same essential mechanism. The weight (often called a monkey weight or hammer) is lifted through pulleys or chains above a pile, and then dropped at height onto the pile, driving it into the ground through consecutive blows.

In the 19th century, Sissons and White were pioneers in the development of early steam powered pile drivers. They were notable for their innovative carriage design, which allowed piles to be driven into the ground at various angles. The engines could also be raised and lowered on a vertical stage, allowing the driver to push piles further into the ground.