William Murdoch worked at many Cornish mines like this one at Dolcoath. The mines were big customers for steam engines and used them for all sorts of work.
Image: Cornwall Centre Collection
Work with Boulton and Watt
William Murdoch became a valuable colleague of Matthew Boulton and James Watt. In 1830, engineer James Nasmyth described him as:
'a man of indomitable energy, and Watt's
right-hand man in the highest practical sense'.
Murdoch spent 20 years erecting Watt's engines in Cornwall. There, his massive stature - he was muscular and over six feet tall - came in useful for gaining the respect of the unruly Cornish miners. But William's brawn was matched by an inventive mind.
What inventions did Murdoch devise?
