Description:Plan of the 'Great Engine' at London Bridge, March 1787.
The 'Great Engine' was actually a large water wheel that was installed in the fifth arch of London Bridge. The water wheel worked a series of water pumps that helped to supply the capital with water. This drawing, which Boulton & Watt copied from one made by the renowned engineer John Smeaton in March 1787, clearly shows the blades of the water wheel and its connection to the pumps. Such was London’s demand for water that when this drawing was made there was a Boulton & Watt engine at work at London Bridge Water Works along with the 'Great Engine'.
This drawing is part of the Archives of Soho collection, which is held by Birmingham City Archives [Ref. MS3147/Portfolio/5/1098]