James Watt and Our World

This permanent exhibition is dedicated to the work of Watt, regarded by his contemporaries as the founder of the Industrial Revolution and famed for his improved steam engine, which made possible the use of steam in breweries, potteries and textile mills, boosting output everywhere. It features the original attic workshop from Watt’s Birmingham home – including its original door, window, floorboards, workbench and more than 8,000 objects used or created by the engineer until his death in 1819. A key object in the display is Watt’s 1765 model for the first separate condenser, an unassuming brass cylinder which is thought to be one of the most significant objects in engineering history.