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William Murdock (1754 - 1839)
William Murdock was a Scottish engineer who moved to Birmingham in 1777 to work with Matthew Boulton and James Watt in their Soho Manufactory. In 1779, Murdock was sent to Cornwall to supervise the fitting of Watt steam engines in tin mines in the area. It was during this visit to Cornwall, whilst living in the town of Redruth, that Murdock first experimented with coal gas for use as a fuel. In 1792 he used the gas to light his home and his office. Murdock returned to Birmingham in 1799 where he continued to experiment with gas lighting. In 1802 he lighted the outside of the Soho works. By 1804 he had installed over nine hundred gas lights in local cotton mills. A German businessman, Frederick Albert Winson, saw the potential of Murdock's work and, in 1804, he obtained a patent to manufacture coal gas. By 1807, Winson and Partners, the first gas company, had installed gas street lighting in Pall Mall, London. William Murdock is considered to be the "Father of the Gas Industry". In 1808 he was invited to the Royal Society to present his paper on gas lighting. However, Murdock was also an extremely able engineer. He designed the oscillating engine in 1784 and he is thought to be the 'brains' behind the 'Sun and Planet' steam engine. In 1786 Murdock designed and built an unsuccessful prototype road locomotive, much to the annoyance of James Watt who thought that steam transport would never become popular. Murdock also experimented with compressed air and he designed a steam gun in 1803!
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© Shirley Burchill, Nigel Hughes, Peter Price and Keith Woodall 2009 Footnote : As far as the Open Door team can ascertain the image shown on this page is in the Public Domain. |
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