Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.13205

    Watermill, Halton, Lancaster

    Date
    1753
    Creator
    John Smeaton (1724 - 1792, British) , Civil engineer
    Object type
    Image reference
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (drawing): 315mm
    width (drawing): 208mm
    height (drawing): 310mm
    width (drawing): 225mm
    height (paper support): 357mm
    width (paper support): 500mm
    Subject
    Description
    Plan and elevation of tubs and damsel at a scale 1:12, right hand side as viewed. Plans of gearing and stones at a scale of 1:24 and elevation of hurst below at a scale of 1:24, left hand side as viewed.

    Signed but not dated and inscribed on paper support ‘Plans of Halton Mill near Lancaster built 1753 the first mill made from the designs of I Smeaton. Note by J Farey It must mean the first watermill, because in Mr Smeaton’s list two wind mills (Nine Elms and Bashing see p6 & 4) stand before Halton.’

    Original drawing from Designs by the late John Smeaton made on various occasions in the course of his employment as a Civil Engineer from the year 175[?] to 179[?], Volume 1. Containing Designs for Wind Mills and Water Mills for Grinding Corn. Collected and arranged by John Farey, 1821.

    John Smeaton (1724-1792) was a British civil engineer, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1753.

    John Farey (1766-1826) was a British geologist and surveyor, he worked on the published reports of John Smeaton’s work between 1809 and 1812.

    Object history
    Smeaton’s Designs were received by bequest of Mr Edward Farey in November 1913 as indicated in the copies of outgoing correspondence bound in the New Letter Books of the Royal Society, NLB/49/185 and NLB/49/312.

    The collection was originally purchased after Smeaton’s death in 1795 by Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society and member of the Committee of the Smeaton Society of Civil Engineers. The committee undertook to publish a comprehensive selection of reports on the drawings which was entrusted to John Farey sr (1766-1826) and assisted by his better-known son John Farey jr (1791-1851) mechanical engineer and Fellow of the Royal Society. The work began in 1809 and resulted in three published volumes, Reports of the late John Smeaton FRS, made on various occasions of his employment as a civil engineer, London, 1812.
    Associated place
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