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The world’s oldest industrial heritage in the UK

Many conveniences we enjoy today can trace their roots to technologies developed during the Industrial Revolution. This period of rapid industrialisation began in Great Britain, where many innovations were pioneered such as new construction materials, manufacturing methods, and lifestyle improvements.

Much of the world’s oldest industrial heritage is located in the UK and so we have curated a list highlighting some of it. We aim to grow this list over time. Is there something we should include in this list? Get in touch and let us know.

Contents

The world’s oldest engines
The world’s oldest railway heritage
The world’s oldest waterway aqueducts
The world’s oldest road bridges
The world’s oldest utility heritage
The world’s oldest maritime heritage
Other world’s oldest industrial heritage


The world’s oldest engines

TitleNameEngineerDateLocationCountyNotes
Replica of world’s first practical steam engineAtmospheric EngineThomas Newcomen1986Black Country Living Museum, DudleyWest MidlandsThe only full size replica of the first steam engine with practical application used in 1712 to pump water at the Coneygree Colliery 1 km away.
World’s oldest surviving modified steam engineNewcomen Memorial EngineThomas Newcomenc.1725Dartmouth Visitor CentreDevonThe engine was modified retaining original parts from 1725. Used to pump water at multiple collieries and the Coventry Canal.
World’s oldest working engineSmethwick EngineJames Watt (Boulton & Watt)1779Thinktank, BirminghamWest MidlandsUsed to pump water at the Smethwick summit on the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line. Still bought into steam at the Thinktank Museum. Also the world’s oldest working steam engine.
World’s oldest surviving steam locomotivePuffing BillyWilliam Hedleyc.1814Science MuseumLondonBuilt for coal haulage at Wylam Colliery, Northumberland with a maximum speed of 5 mph. Rebuilt with different wheel configurations during its operational life. Was an important influence on George Stephenson and the development of steam locomotives.

The world’s oldest railway heritage

TitleNameEngineer/DesignerDateLocationCountyNotes
World’s oldest surviving single-arch railway bridgeCausey ArchRalph Wood1725CauseyCounty DurhamCarried the horse-drawn wooden Tanfield Waggonway across the Causey Burn.
World’s oldest continually working railwayMiddleton RailwayCharles Brandling1758-PresentLeedsWest YorkshireOriginally constructed as a horse-drawn wooden waggonway. Converted into standard gauge for steam locomotives. Continues to operate as a heritage railway. Was also the first railway line to be authorised by an Act of Parliament.
World’s oldest surviving railway tunnelFritchley TunnelBenjamin Outram1793FritchleyDerbyshireCarried the horse-drawn Butterley Gangroad (plateway) under a road junction. Once delivered limestone from local quarries to the Cromford Canal. Southern part of the tunnel altered in 1840s to accommodate steam locomotives. Tunnel is currently buried.
World’s oldest surviving iron railway bridgePont-y-CafnauWatkin George1793Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil County BoroughCarried the Gurnos Tramroad (plateway) over the River Taff delivering limestone into the Cyfarthfa Ironworks.
World’s oldest surviving railway viaductLaigh Milton ViaductWilliam Jessop & Thomas Hollis1812KilmarnockEast AyrshireCarried the horse-drawn Kilmarnock & Troon Plateway across the River Irvine.
World’s oldest surviving iron railway bridge to carry a steam locomotiveGaunless BridgeGeorge Stephenson1823Locomotion, ShildonCounty DurhamCarried a branch of the Stockton & Darlington Railway serving Witton Park Colliery. Also the world’s first bridge to use an iron truss.
World’s first railway to run a steam locomotiveMerthyr TramroadGeorge Overton (Railway)
Richard Trevithick (Locomotive)
1802-1888Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil County BoroughOriginally constructed to deliver finished iron from and raw materials to the Penydarren and Plymouth ironworks. The first experiment with a steam locomotive occurred on the line in 1804 as part of a bet to carry ten tons of iron nearly 10 miles.
World’s oldest working railway bridgeSkerne BridgeGeorge Stephenson1825DarlingtonCounty DurhamBuilt to carry the Stockton & Darlington Railway over the River Skerne, now part of the Tees Valley Line.
World’s oldest working railway viaductBassaleg ViaductGeorge Overton1826NewportGwentBuilt to carry the horse-drawn Rumney Railway over the River Ebbw. Now carries a standard gauge freight railway.
World’s oldest surviving railway stationLiverpool RoadGeorge Stephenson1830ManchesterGreater ManchesterOriginal terminus of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, the first inter-city railway in the world.
World’s oldest continually working railway station sitePerry BarrGeorge Stephenson & Joseph Locke1837BirminghamWest MidlandsOriginally built for the Grand Junction Railway. The station has been rebuilt several times during its existence.
World’s oldest working underground railway stationBaker StreetJohn Fowler1863City of WestminsterLondonOne of the original stations of the Metropolitan Railway, the ancestor of the London Underground.
World’s oldest working electric railwayVolk’s Electric RailwayMagnus Volk1883BrightonEast SussexBuilt and still operated as a seafront tourist attraction.
World’s oldest working electric tram line with original rolling stockManx Electric RailwayFrederick Saunderson1893Isle of ManRuns 17 miles between Douglas and Ramsey via Laxey. Cars 1 and 2 are original and still operate.

The world’s oldest waterway aqueducts

TitleNameEngineerDateLocationCountyNotes
World’s oldest surviving iron aqueductPont-y-CafnauWatkin George1793Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil County BoroughCarried the Cyfartha Leat over the River Taff via dual aqueducts into the Cyfarthfa Ironworks to power a great waterwheel.
World’s oldest surviving navigable iron aqueductLongdon-on-Tern AqueductThomas Telford1796Longdon-on-TernShropshireCarried the Shrewsbury Canal over the River Tern.
World’s oldest working navigable iron aqueductStalybridge AqueductBenjamin Outram1800NewportGwentCarries the Huddersfield Narrow Canal over the River Tame. Also known as the Stakes Aqueduct.
World’s first and only swing aqueductBarton Swing AqueductEdward Leader Williams1894Barton upon IrwellGreater ManchesterCarries the Bridgewater Canal over the Manchester Ship Canal. Replaced the Barton Aqueduct, the first navigable aqueduct in England.

The world’s oldest road bridges

TitleNameEngineerDateLocationCountyNotes
World’s first iron road bridge and oldest working iron bridgeIron BridgeThomas Farnolls Pritchar1779IronbridgeShropshireFormer toll bridge carrying a road over the River Severn. Cast at Coalbrookdale Ironworks. Currently restricted to carrying pedestrians. International symbol of the Industrial Revolution.
World’s oldest iron road bridge still carrying vehiclesCound Arbour BridgeThomas Telford (Unconfirmed)1797CoundShropshireCast at Coalbrookdale Ironworks.
World’s oldest working chain suspension bridgeUnion Chain BridgeCaptain Samuel Brown1820Horncliffe & FishwickNorthumberland & Scottish BordersFormer wrought iron toll bridge carrying a road over the River Tweed on English & Scottish border.
World’s first suspension road bridgeMenai Suspension BridgeThomas Telford1826NewportGwynedd & Isle of AngleseyCarries the A5 London to Holyhead road over the Menai Straits. The bridge is the first of its kind because construction started before the Union Chain Bridge.

The world’s oldest utility heritage

TitleNameEngineer/DesignerDateLocationCountyNotes
World’s first domestic residence lit by piped gasMurdoch HouseWilliam Murdoch1792-94RedruthCornwallGas was piped into the living room for illumination from a retort in the back yard. The house was gutted by fire in 1922 destroying historical traces. Now functions as a community events venue.
World’s first industrial building lit by piped gasSoho FoundryWilliam Murdoch1798BirminghamWest MidlandsThe foundry manufactured steam engines. The site also included the world’s first gas holder, which has since been demolished.
World’s oldest gasworks remainsDolphinholme Worsted MillSamuel Clegg1811DolphinholmeLancashireIncludes the world’s oldest gas holder remains. Built for a textile mill that was spending a fortune on candles.
World’s oldest surviving gas holderGas Holder No. 2John Kirkham1829-30FulhamLondonBuilt for the Fulham Gasworks. Considered to have been the largest in the world being about twice the diameter of most large gas holders at the time. Now a central feature of a communal green space.
World’s first domestic property that was powered by hydroelectricityCragsideWilliam Armstrong1878RothburyNorthumberlandA water-powered Siemens dynamo generated electricity for a laundry, an early dishwasher, a dumb waiter, a hydraulic lift, and a rotisserie. Now owned by the National Trust.
World’s first domestic property lit by the incandescent electric light bulbUnderhillJoseph Swanc.1880GatesheadTyne and WearThe home of Joseph Swan and the site of his experiments that led to the development of the electric light bulb. Now used as a retirement home.

The world’s oldest maritime heritage

TitleNameEngineerDateLocationCountyNotes
World’s second oldest lighthouse structureDover PharosUnknownc.46DoverKentBuilt by Romans to guide their fleets from France. Converted to church belfry in the Middle Ages. Also the tallest Roman structure in the UK.
World’s first commercial wet dockLiverpool Old DockThomas Steers1715LiverpoolMerseysidePermitted ships to dock during low tide. Was filled in and built upon before being rediscovered during the construction of a shopping complex.
World’s oldest commissioned naval vesselHMS Victory1765PortsmouthHampshireParticipated in the Battle of Trafalgar as Lord Nelson’s flagship. Also the vessel he died on. Now functions as a museum ship.
World’s oldest working lighthouse at seaBell Rock LighthouseRobert Stevenson1810East Scottish coast near ArbroathBuilt on a submerged rock notorious for shipwrecks. Described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World due to the sheer challenge of construction.
World’s oldest surviving cast iron pierGravesend Town PierWilliam Tierney Clark1834GravesendKentUsed for alighting passengers on steam packet ferry services into London. Fell into disuse around 1900 after the arrival of the railways. Restored in 2002. Currently used by river bus services into London.
World’s oldest surviving iron steamshipSS Great BritainIsambard Kingdom Brunel1843BristolBristolThe first ship to be built of iron with screw propeller. She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1853. Now functions as a museum ship.
World’s first lighthouse with an electrical lampSouth Foreland Upper LighthouseJohn Yenn (Lighthouse Architect)

Frederick Hale Holmes
1793 (Lighthouse Built)

1858 (Electric Lamp Fitted)
St Margarets BayKentOriginal lighthouse was built in 1793 with an oil lamp. Then used for a trial running a carbon arc lamp. Decommissioned in 1988. Now owned by the National Trust.
World’s first purpose-built electric lighthouseSouter LighthouseWilliam Armstrong1871WhitburnNorthumberlandSpecifically designed and built to run an light powered by alternating electric current. Also the site of Guglielmo Marconi’s pioneering experiments in wireless radio transmissions. Decommissioned in 1988. Now owned by the National Trust.

Other world’s oldest industrial heritage

TitleNameEngineerDateLocationCountyNotes
World’s oldest working clockSalisbury Cathedral ClockUnknownc.1386Salisbury CathedralWiltshireA faceless verge and foliot clock that operates using a system of gears and weights. It was originally located in a bell tower that was demolished in 1790. It lay undiscovered until 1928. It was restored in 1956 with reproduced parts.
World’s oldest working church bellsSt Lawrence ChurchUnknownc.1440sIpswichSuffolkHas the oldest ring of five church bells in the world with the oldest dating from the 1440s. Ringing stopped in 1985 when the bell tower was declared no longer stable. In 2009, they were moved further down the tower and once again brought into use.
World’s first iron-framed buildingShrewsbury Flaxmill MaltingsCharles Bage1797ShrewsburyShropshireBuilt using rows of cast iron columns with cast iron beams and wrought iron tie rods supporting brick flooring. Often referred to as the “grandfather of skyscrapers” due to its pioneering construction methods. The 5 storey complex initially served as a flax mill and later as a malting facility for brewing. 
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