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Oct. 11th, 2010 08:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luckykaaMany years ago, when I was a wee laddie, my mother took me to the Engineerium. I liked those bit mechanical things with lots of bits whizzing round clanking and grinding.
Yesterday I went once more. Still love it!
The Engineerium was kind enough to provide us with a guide in the form of the chap who normally does the ghost walks in Brighton. And a fine guide he was too.
The Engineerium was originally a water pumping station. It was running into financial troubles and had closed down by the time I moved back to Brighton. It was about to be split up and sold off by auction until one millionaire decided to pre-empt the auction and buy the whole lot. That was four years ago. Redevelopment has been in hold for a while but they've started, and once in a while they'll open the doors for a steam day.
The central building was, when it was in use, simply a coal shed. The engine within, is a fine example of Victorian Era engineering, although something of an imposter.
They are however pleased to have the engine at the Engineerium. I suspect that when refurbishments get to the next stage, this will have its own home.
These steam engines really were huge beasts. No. 2 Engine with it's 20 ton flywheel and mahogany panelling can't fail to impress. So impressed was I with the scale of the thing that I completely failed to take a photo. Apologies for that. Hopefully![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tictactoepony will have nabbed a few.
Even the spanners are of an immense scale.
Bumping into the rest of my immediate family made it feel just like old times. When I was there many years ago, my mother explained to me that the twirly thing on top of the engines was called a Governor. I remembered this. I returned the favour many years later by explaining how the thing worked. I have no idea what my 4-year old nephew thought about the place. Hope he was impressed.
And I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't mention traction engines. There were some
So, a small exhibition, but quite delightful, and so good to see these machines running after all these years. I do hope that this does get fully restored. Steam is in these days, I hear.
Yesterday I went once more. Still love it!
The Engineerium was kind enough to provide us with a guide in the form of the chap who normally does the ghost walks in Brighton. And a fine guide he was too.
The Engineerium was originally a water pumping station. It was running into financial troubles and had closed down by the time I moved back to Brighton. It was about to be split up and sold off by auction until one millionaire decided to pre-empt the auction and buy the whole lot. That was four years ago. Redevelopment has been in hold for a while but they've started, and once in a while they'll open the doors for a steam day.
The central building was, when it was in use, simply a coal shed. The engine within, is a fine example of Victorian Era engineering, although something of an imposter.
They are however pleased to have the engine at the Engineerium. I suspect that when refurbishments get to the next stage, this will have its own home.
These steam engines really were huge beasts. No. 2 Engine with it's 20 ton flywheel and mahogany panelling can't fail to impress. So impressed was I with the scale of the thing that I completely failed to take a photo. Apologies for that. Hopefully
tictactoepony will have nabbed a few.Even the spanners are of an immense scale.
Bumping into the rest of my immediate family made it feel just like old times. When I was there many years ago, my mother explained to me that the twirly thing on top of the engines was called a Governor. I remembered this. I returned the favour many years later by explaining how the thing worked. I have no idea what my 4-year old nephew thought about the place. Hope he was impressed.
And I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't mention traction engines. There were some
So, a small exhibition, but quite delightful, and so good to see these machines running after all these years. I do hope that this does get fully restored. Steam is in these days, I hear.
