What a wonderful members’ visit we had to the Verdant Works in Dundee on 27th May.
(for those who have never been it is well worth a visit!)
To see a Boulton & Watt engine operate so majestically was quite a thrill and to hear about the efforts required to install such a precious 200 year old machine in a 200 year old building was fascinating.
Our group were shown a display on the growing and harvesting of jute, and then the machine hall where an unbelievable array of (some working) machines used in the processing of jute were displayed – and described by Mel, The curator and very able guide.
The visit did inspire discussions amongst our members about the loss of knowledge – both engineering and industrial.
The Verdant Works (and our other museums) are trying desperately hard to preserve as much knowledge as they can and have compiled an impressive set of notes on as many aspects of operating the machines as possible. (if you know anyone who could spend a few hours describing their experiences the team in Dundee would be very grateful)
But what about those traditional engineering skills?
Do young engineers get a chance to learn about and work with heritage machinery?
Probably not.
Is there a value in learning about heritage machines? The answers varied from ‘yes’ to ‘it can’t do any harm’. However it could also play a part in modern apprenticeship training.
To look from a different perspective, if we are losing skills and the number of people able to help with such projects continues to fall then wouldn’t it be good to teach another generation how they work and pass on skills and knowledge?
Do we need traditional skills?
Yes! It is not just the ability to do things, or make things, will there ever be a commercial need for a Boulton Watt engine again? – probably not, but a working historic machine interprets itself. We need to pass on the skills to keep our engineering heritage working, from our great industrial museums to Waverley. Think about the understanding and skills needed to keep all of these working.
The engineers need to assess the parts, figure out what to fix, and how, what to replace or restore, understand the materials used and how they behave. Making that happen in a safe but sympathetic way, following best conservation practices – all within strict budget conditions is a challenge.
The Scottish Transport and Industry Collections Knowledge Network are hosting a conference in the excellent venue that is Discovery Point in Dundee on October 11th, which will discuss this dilemma; one that is more complicated than it might first seem. STICK would welcome attendees from the wider world of engineering to attend
The skills of Scotland's only engineering conservation contractor - turned shipwright for the major works on Discovery will be on show and a tour of the ship and works will be included
https://stickssn.org/stick-2024-conference-cfp/
by L Clow with help from Jim Mitchell, Conservation Engineer