brewery in London at the time of the engine's use. mechanism that converts vertical motion to rotary motion. The engine was ordered by
Samuel Whitbread in 1784 to replace a
horse wheel at the
Chiswell Street premises of his London brewery. It was installed in 1785, the second steam engine to be installed in a brewery, and enabled Whitbread to become the largest brewer in Britain. The horse wheel was retained for many years, serving as a backup in case the steam engine broke down. In a marketing coup for both the brewer and the engine's manufacturer,
King George III and
Queen Charlotte visited the brewery on 24 May 1787. The engine remained in service for 102 years, until 1887. The engine made its way to the Powerhouse Museum (then known as the Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum) through
Archibald Liversidge, an English-born chemist, scientist and academic at the University of Sydney, who was a trustee of the museum. Liversidge was in London in 1887, at the time of the engine's decommissioning, and when he heard that the engine was to be scrapped he asked whether it could be donated to the museum. Whitbread & Co agreed on condition that the engine be set up and used for educational purposes. Subsequently, the engine was dismantled and shipped to Sydney on the sailing ship
Patriarch. For shipping purposes, the large flywheel was divided into two halves. While the flywheel's rim could be unbolted, the hub with attached spokes had to be drilled through and rejoined after shipping. A shortage of funds meant the engine was kept in storage for several years. Eventually the engine was erected in its own engine house, behind the main building at the museum's old Harris Street premises. During the 1920s or 1930s, an electric motor was added so that people could see the engine in motion. During the 1980s the Technology Restoration Society was formed in order to raise funds for the engine's restoration. Restoration took place at the museum's Castle Hill site. During the restoration, some parts – including the piston – were replaced to preserve the original parts. The engine, restored to steaming condition, was installed in the new Powerhouse Museum in 1988. steam being provided by the museum's central
boiler. ==Technical specifications==