Kitty May Brunell was one of a clutch of women motorsport riders in the 1920s-1930s. Born in 1911, Kitty grew up surrounded by racing. Her father was Bill Brunell (officially William Joseph Brunell), a well-known photographer of motorsports. Her mother was Katie Margaret Meech. Brunell officially began rallying in 1928, she was only seventeen at the time, but it seems she stopped around 1933. Despite … Continue reading WOMEN RIDERS
Cherry Hinds Hill is a well-known name to those in the model engineering world and her models are considered remarkable for their quality. The Duke of Edinburgh Challenge Trophy and the Championship Cup has been won by Cherry 9 times. Yet she has always maintained a low profile-she has allowed her work to speak for her. Cherry’s models are based on both historic working engines … Continue reading CHERRY HILL
Recently we were invited to visit the workshops at the National Motor Museum where they are working to restore the 1927 1000hp Sunbeam twin engines that hopefully be running again in March (more on that in a future post!). The Museum tells the story of the advancement of the motor cars and propelled transport, from penny farthings, to steam cars, to icons such as the … Continue reading BEAULIEU: VISIT REPORT
Creating a virtual archive for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers IMechE’s Virtual Archive In conjunction with Townsweb The vast archive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) spans over 150 years in scope and is of National importance. So we were privileged to be selected by the Institution to build a Virtual Archive portal and publish their prestigious holdings online. Above image: Napier Deltic engine, … Continue reading CREATING A DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Whether you are in Dundee, Devises, Doha or Delhi you can now gain access to key items held in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers archive collection, all for free, just by going online. Curated from our extensive physical collections, our Virtual Archive showcases a selection of models, items, drawings, notebooks, photographs and documents about the history of engineering and the Institution. We have captured 3D … Continue reading VIRTUAL ARCHIVE: ENGINEERING HISTORY ONLINE
“Battle cruiser seems in distress…” On 5th June 1916, a German u-boat mine claimed a prize- the life of Field Marshall Earl of Kitchener, Minister for War. He had been enroute to persuade the Russian Tsar to keep his troops engaged in the First World War. With him were 643 crew and his staff. Also killed were two IMechE members, Sir Frederick Hay Donaldson and … Continue reading HMS HAMPSHIRE SINKS
Engineers at War: From Home Front to Battle Front online exhibition Paravanes were developed 1914-1916 by Lieutenant Burney and Commander Usborne as a direct result of the First World War, due to the need to destroy oceanic mines. We have original coloured drawings of the devices, alongside illustrations showing how they were used and our exhibition on engineering and the War has more details about the … Continue reading PARAVANES
L&MR was opened on 15 Sep 1830 between Liverpool and Manchester. It was first public transport system which did not use animal traction power and the first to provide a scheduled passenger service; although it could be argued that it was seen as even more crucial for goods to be conveyed at the time. The initial 1823 survey for the line was carried out by … Continue reading LIVERPOOL & MANCHESTER RAILWAY
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, or St. Louis World’s Fair, was an international event held in St. Louis in 1904. We know many Members of IMechE were planning on attending because James Rowan wrote to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Secretary to suggest that their attendance would be a good opportunity for the two Institutions to hold a joint summer meeting in Chicago. A … Continue reading MEET ME IN ST LOUIS
