Anson Engine Museum facts for kids
The Anson Engine Museum is a cool place in Poynton, Cheshire, England. It's built on the spot where the old Anson coal mine used to be. This amazing museum was started by two friends, Les Cawley and Geoff Challinor, who loved collecting and showing off stationary engines as a hobby. Now, it has one of the biggest collections of engines in all of Europe! The museum also has a working blacksmith's shop, a carpentry area, and a café.
Contents
Where to Find It
The Anson Engine Museum is located on the land of the old Anson coal mine in Poynton, Cheshire, England.
A Look Back in Time
Coal Mining History
Coal was found very close to the surface in Poynton, and people started digging for it a long, long time ago. One of the earliest records of coal mining here is from 1589! At first, miners dug coal from the surface or shallow holes. Later, they used deeper shafts with waterwheels or steam engines to help pump out water and lift the coal.
In the late 1700s, local families worked together to mine coal. By 1789, they were digging up over 23,586 tonnes (about 26,000 tons) of coal! Production kept growing, reaching a huge 221,056 tonnes (about 243,673 tons) in 1859. The Warren family owned the rights to the coal in Poynton. In 1832, Lord Vernon decided to manage the mines himself. In 1856, it was thought there were still millions of tons of coal left. However, by 1926, coal production had dropped a lot. The mines finally closed on August 30, 1935, and about 250 men lost their jobs.
The Anson Pit
The Anson Pit, also known as Lower Anson, was an important part of the Poynton coal mines. In 1826, it had a Newcomen atmospheric engine that helped lift things. There were also long tracks underground for coal tubs.
By 1847, the Anson Pit employed 36 men and six boys. They were digging coal from about 132 yards deep. It had a 16 horsepower engine. Later, they dug even deeper, to 191 yards. In 1856, this pit was producing 170 tons of coal every day!
In 1869, a new, more powerful engine was put in place to lift coal. This engine was still working when the pit closed in 1926. Another engine was added to pull coal tubs up a steep slope inside the mine. Both these engines used steam from large boilers. Today, the Anson Colliery is where the Anson Engine Museum stands.
How the Museum Started
The museum you see today is thanks to many years of hard work by Les Cawley and Geoff Challinor. They started collecting and showing stationary engines just for fun. As their collection grew bigger and bigger, they decided to create a museum. They formed a special group to help, and construction on the first building began in 1986.
The Anson Engine Museum first opened its doors to visitors in 1989. For a long time, it only opened on certain days. But after Les Cawley passed away in 2002, Geoff Challinor worked even harder to make the museum a place that would attract engine fans from all over the world.
Amazing Engines to See
Famous Engine Makers
The museum has some of the very first engines ever built by famous companies like Crossley and Mirrlees. The area around Manchester, where the museum is, was a really important place for making stationary engines. By the early 1900s, there were more than 20 engine makers within 20 miles of the museum!
Companies like Mirrlees, Bickerton & Day focused on making diesel engines. L Gardner & Sons became famous worldwide for their small, fast, and high-quality diesel engines used in factories and boats. Crossley Brothers used ideas from inventors like Nicolaus Otto. The museum mainly focuses on engines made by these local companies.
Must-See Attractions
Today, the Anson Engine Museum has one of the largest collections of engines in Europe. It brings in engine lovers from all over the world. In recent years, the museum has even won awards for its displays, its helpful volunteers, and some of its amazing engines.
Some of the coolest engines you can see include:
- The biggest working example of a Crossley Atmospheric gas engine.
- An award-winning, original L Gardner & Sons L series engine, which even has a special plaque from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
- The oldest diesel engine in the UK, called Mirrlees No. 1.
- The original Crossley No. 1 engine.
- A special area with steam engines, including a large Stott mill engine and a Fowler beam engine.
- A very rare Griffin 6-stroke engine.
- A rare Atkinson cycle engine.
- A Crossley engine with a unique "over-hung" crank.
- A Hugon gas engine.
- A giant 63-ton Ruston & Hornsby engine that was once used at Ealing Studios!
See also
- Internal Fire - Museum of Power
- Prickwillow Museum - collection of large diesel pumping engines
- List of museums in Cheshire
