1782 James Watt invents the rotary steam engine

This picture shows an engine room at the Yard Works in Preston.
It was drawn by Worthington and Company, Preston, 1 January 1855.

The steam engine was one of the most important inventions of the industrial revolution. James Watt developed an improved engine in 1769, but the rotary steam engine had cogs and wheels that were used to drive machinery. It was eventually used in cotton mills throughout Lancashire.

In Preston, the Horrockses company built large reservoirs on the Yard Works site. These were filled by rainwater drained from the surrounding area. The reservoirs supplied the water to the engines in engine houses, which used coal to heat the water into stream. Steam power replaced horsepower in Horrockses mills.

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