Two drawings of the Pentrich Colliery Pumping Engine

Two drawings of the Pentrich Colliery Pumping Engine (a) End view and plan; (b) Side view. Scale 1:24. Drawn by C. O. Becker based on an in situ survey of the engine.

This atmospheric engine was designed and erected in 1791 by Francis Thompson of Ashover, Derbyshire. It was first employed at the Oakenthorpe Mine in Derbyshire until 1841 when it was re-erected at Pentrich Colliery near Ripley, where it worked until 1918; it was thus in commission, except for short intervals, for nearly a century and a quarter. It exhibits the characteristic features of Newcomen's engine, but embodies improvements in detail made as a result of experience by a succession of engineers, amongst them John Smeaton in 1772. Becker was an associate of the Science Museum, and his drawings assisted the acquisition and re-assembly of the engine in the museum.