Whitbread Engine

Whitbread Engine
Boulton & Watt steam engine decommissioned in 1887, at the Powerhouse Museum
Origins
Type	Watt, rotative beam
Designer	James Watt
Maker	Boulton and Watt
Date	1785 (1785)
Country of origin	England
Former operator	Whitbread, London, England
Purpose	Driving brewery machinery
Measurements
Cylinders	1
Bore	0.64 metres (25 in)
Stroke	1.8 metres (6 ft)
Flywheel diameter	4.27 metres (10 ft)
Power	26 kilowatts (35 hp) (as built)
Preservation
Location	Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia 33°52′40″S 151°11′58″E / 33.877898°S 151.199573°E / -33.877898; 151.199573 (Powerhouse museum)
URL	collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/7177

The Whitbread Engine preserved in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, built in 1785, is one of the first rotative steam engines ever built, and is the oldest surviving.^[1][2] A rotative engine is a type of beam engine where the reciprocating motion of the beam is converted to rotary motion, producing a continuous power source suitable for driving machinery.

This engine was designed by the mechanical engineer James Watt, of the firm Boulton and Watt and originally installed in the Whitbread brewery in London, England. On decommissioning in 1887 it was sent to Australia's Powerhouse Museum (then known as the Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum) and has since been restored to full working order.