Description:General Section of Sun and Planet Engine for the Prince George Mine, Cornwall.
Nearly all the engines that Boulton & Watt sold in Cornwall were large pumping engines whose beams were connected directly to the pump rods. They did however sell a few rotative engines for winding up baskets of ore, or, as in this example, for working pumps. These smaller rotative engines were sold and maintained through a new partnership called Boulton Watt & Co. Cornwall. The partners were Matthew Boulton, James Watt, William Murdock and Thomas Wilson, who was Boulton & Watt’s Cornish agent. This engine, a 13 horse power sun and planet engine with a 20 inch cylinder, was sold to Seal Hole mine in 1790.
This drawing is part of the Archives of Soho collection, which is held by Birmingham City Archives [Ref. MS3147/Portfolio/5/1282a]