Letter, William George Armstrong to R S Reid, 20 November 1847

Autograph letter from William George Armstrong to R S Reid of Pelton, Chester-le-Street concerning the plans for a hydraulic pressure engine, 20th November 1847. Written at Elswick Engine Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

A letter from William George Armstrong, an English engineer and industrialist who founded W.G. Armstrong & Co., to R.S. Reid of Pelton, Chester-le-Street. The letter discusses plans for a hydraulic pressure engine to be built by W.G. Armstrong & Co., an engineering firm that manufactured hydraulic machinery and bridges.

The letter was written in 1847, the year that W.G. Armstrong & Co. was founded. It is thought that R.S. Reid may have connections with the world’s first hydraulic crane at the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool, installed on 15th May 1848. The letter helps us understand the development of power production during the 19th century. It tells us that steam was not the only method of producing power from water, and that there was a market for machinery such as the product discussed here.