Watt's workshop is nothing less than a self-contained historical time capsule, representing a complete physical record of the working life and interests of renowned Scottish engineer James Watt. All the furniture, the floorboards and door, window and skylight, and 8,430 objects, have been preserved essentially as they were left upon Watt's death in 1819.
The workshop was in the attic of Watt's home, Heathfield, outside Birmingham. Watt spent a lot of time in the workshop after his retirement in 1800, partly to escape his second wife. His main project in the workshop was copying sculpture, for which he developed the two large copy-mills which dominate the workshop space. Upon Watt's death the room was sealed and, bar a few VIP visits by intrigued VIP visitors in the 1860s, left untouched until 1924. In that year, Heathfield faced demolition, and the room was dismantled and carefully shipped to the Science Museum.
- Currently on display in:
- James Watt and our World
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