James Watt died on 25 August 1819 at Heathfield Hall, his home near Birmingham. The Scottish engineer is often described as the inventor of the steam engine. However, steam engines were already in use in Britain before he was born. Watt’s achievement was to make them much more efficient and adaptable.

Born in Greenock in 1736, Watt became a mathematical instrument maker and established a workshop at the University of Glasgow. His work there brought him into contact with a model of a Newcomen steam engine.

Newcomen engines had been used since the early eighteenth century, particularly for pumping water from mines. Watt recognised that they wasted large amounts of energy because the cylinder was repeatedly heated by steam and then cooled to condense it.

His answer was a separate condenser. Instead of cooling the working cylinder each time, the steam could be condensed in another chamber while the main cylinder remained hot. Watt patented the principle in 1769. The change reduced fuel consumption and provided the basis for further improvements.

Turning the idea into a successful business required more than the invention itself. Watt eventually partnered with Birmingham manufacturer Matthew Boulton. From the 1770s, Boulton and Watt developed and sold engines, initially finding an important market in pumping.

Watt continued to alter the design. Later engines could produce rotary motion, allowing steam power to drive machinery rather than simply operate pumps. This widened the range of industries in which steam engines could be used.

Watt retired from active business in 1800 but continued working on technical projects. He died at Heathfield Hall at the age of 83.