46


The exhibition goes on to show the impact of the steam on Dartmouth, starting with the world’s first steam powered floating bridge in 1831, still operating on similar principles as the Higher Ferry today. Other developments followed thick and fast, as Dartmouth invested to take advantage of the new technologies. The first steam powered paddle steamer appeared on the Dart in 1836, and its direct descendant the Kingswear Castle, launched in 1924, is still a familiar sight on the river today. The railway arrived in Kingswear in 1864, establishing the link to London that stimulated the tourist trade. And businesses grew up, like Simpson Strickland at Sandquay and Noss, producing the most modern steam engines for fast motor launches between 1880-1918. All these developments were fuelled by coal,


and coal itself transformed Dartmouth in the last half of the 19th


century, as it became a top-


up or bunkering coal port for long distance steamships. At its peak, 800-900 ships visited Dartmouth every year, making Dartmouth the 10th


most important coal port in the


country. The river was full of hulks laden with coal moored in the river, and the docks and riverside houses were covered in a film of black dust, it was not a pretty place. The coal trade provided employment for hundreds of men, known as coal lumpers, who worked on piece work rates to shovel the coal out of the hulks, into barges and into the steamships. Newcomen left us all a rich legacy, whether it be in the cars we drive, or the steam driven nuclear powered submarines we rely on for our national security. So it’s well worth remembering him and the machines that changed the world, next time we hear the steam train’s whistle echoing across the Dart. The exhibition: Newcomen and the engines that changed the world, including all David Hulse’s model engines, opens on October 20th


. Dartmouth Museum is open 11am-


3pm daily. Admission £5 adults (concessions £4.50). Under 16s free.


Coaling ship Kingswear waiting to unload 1912


Coal lumpers waiting for their next load at Bayards Cove


Paddle steamer Kingswear Castle, launched in 1924


Smethick Engine by David Hulse


Heslop Engine by David Hulse


Newcomen Engine by David Hulse


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