An edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ in which Professor Ian Fells of Newcastle University looks at the life and work of Sir Charles Algernon Parsons the invention of the steam turbine. Visiting both the NEI Parsons factory at Heaton in Newcastle as well as the Museum of Science and Engineering, now Discovery Museum, in Newcastle, Professor Fell explores how this invention is as important today as it was more than a century ago being used alongside...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ in which Professor Ian Fells of Newcastle University looks at the life and work of Sir Charles Algernon Parsons the invention of the steam turbine. Visiting both the NEI Parsons factory at Heaton in Newcastle as well as the Museum of Science and Engineering, now Discovery Museum, in Newcastle, Professor Fell explores how this invention is as important today as it was more than a century ago being used alongside nuclear energy. In he second part of the programme a discussion on the interests that power Parsons’s turbines; coal, oil and nuclear energy. Title: Tyne Tees Briefing The programme begins in the Tyne Tees Television studio in Newcastle with presenter Ian Breach introducing a film on the lift and work of Sir Charles Algernon Parsons by Professor Ian Fells of Newcastle University Standing in a field of cows beside the A696, Professor Fells talks about his grandfather who believed he lived through the ‘greatest period of manmade change in the history of the world’ seeing the arrival of electric light, motorcar, aeroplanes, radio and finally computers. The camera pans back to reveal airplanes taxing along the runway at nearby Newcastle Airport. A portrait of Sir Charles Parsons with Professor Fells talking about his invention of the steam turbine linked to an electric generator in 1884. A montage of black and white archive photographs of CA Parsons factory at Heaton in Newcastle with Professor Fells giving a history of the company. Standing outside the offices of NEI Parsons at Heaton Professor Fells explains how Charles Parsons would have been pleased to see how his invention would be built and used today. An archive image of the factory in the 1880s morphs into the factory today with a worker at the factory standing at the controls of machine producing a modern turbo generator. In the Turbine Assembly Shop a large generator is brought in via an overhead crane and is pulled into position by workers. Professor Fells walks through the shop explaining how the whole world depends for its electricity generation on Parsons’s invention. The large turbine generator seen previously continues its journey through the factory with Professor Fells explaining the superiority of Parsons’s invention and how it quickly spread around the world. A montage archive stills are used to help illustrate his comments. From the Newcastle Quayside the Swing Bridge crossing the River Tyne. Standing on the Gateshead side of the river with the Tyne Bridge in the background, Professor Fells explains how Newcastle was such an ‘extraordinary place’ at the end of the 19th century with several large Victorian entrepreneurs with the likes of George and Robert Stephenson, Joseph Swann the inventor of the electric light and William Armstrong alongside Charles Parsons who were all self-made-men who went out into the marketplace to set up commercial manufacturing companies. Inside the Museum of Science and Engineering Professor Fells stands beside a display for a ‘Portable Dynamo’ telling a story about how it was devised was used to illuminate a Gateshead pond in winter to encourage skaters. Back inside the NEI Parsons factory Professor Fells is given a tour of the facility by Managing Director Dr Bob Hawley. Standing beside one of the large turbines Dr Hawley is asked what Parsons would think of the works if he were to visit today? As he speaks a montage of views of men at work inside the factory. Professor Fells asks if Parsons could have foreseen the precision computer controlled cutting machinery used today, as Dr Hawley responds a man working said machine and it in operation. Over another montage of archive images Professor Fells gives a history on the upbringing and education of Charles Parsons. Paddy Freeman’s boating lake inside Paddy Freeman Park in Newcastle Professor Fells in a rowing boat talks about Parsons early apprenticeship as an engineer and his interest in rocket propelled torpedoes. Back at the Museum of Science and Engineering a model of the Newcomen beam pump engine in operation and Professor Fell standing beside it explaining what Parsons did to improve it. At the Ryhope Engines Museum near Sunderland Professor Fells walks past the pump engine which is in operation explaining it was based on Parsons new designs. A man in overalls opens one of the engines boilers and pokes the burning coals inside. Over a montage of the engine in operation, Professor Fells explains how the system works and how it led to Parsons developing the turbine. Beside a display of historic turbines at the Museum of Science and Engineering, Professor Fells holds one that was made by Sir Charles Parsons himself and based on an ancient Greek design know as a Hero. Professor Fells explains how these early steam turbines were developed and how Charles Parsons created an engine twice as efficient. Standing next to a model of Whittle’s Gas Turbine Professor Fells explains that the work of Parsons in developing the gas turbine, which while not as successful at the time, now means that he could be seen as being not only the father of the gas turbine and the father of jet powered flight as we know it today. He turns on the model and watches the blades inside the turbine turn. Sitting at his desk in his study at Holeyn Hall in Northumberland, Professor Fells talks about the work of Sir Charles Parsons in using steam turbines to increase the speed of ships and the design and building of the first steam turbine-powered steamship the Turbinia. On Paddy Freeman’s boating lake he tests a model of Turbinia, beside him two boys playing with a model boat and a nearby angler. With Professor Fell providing details of the work done by Sir Charles Parsons to develop it a montage of the Turbinia itself on display inside the Museum of Science and Engineering. As Professor Fell explores the ship, he goes into further details about some of the issues facing Parsons and how he overcame them. A montage of archive images from the Navy Review of 1897 where the ship was first demonstrated. Both at Holeyn Hall and inside the Museum of Science and Engineering Professor Fell provides details on some of the other innovations and inventions created by Sir Charles Parsons, some more successful than others. The portrait of Parsons is followed by the freedom casket given to him when he was given the Freedom of the City of Newcastle in 1914. Back inside the NEI Parsons factory large turbo generators under construction with Professor Fell asking the question would Sir Charles Parsons be satisfied with his company simply building bigger and better generators? As Dr Bob Hawley answers the question the camera moves through the factory ending on Dr Hawley standing beside a new turbine being built by engineers working inside it. He explains that Parsons turbines are being used in the most successful nuclear power stations around the world. Hunterston B nuclear power station in Ayrshire, Scotland and inside the turbine hall a large turbo generator built by NEI Parsons. Wearing a hardhat Professor Fells comes down a set of steps to stand near to one of the generators and explains that these turbines would instantly be recognisable by Sir Charles Parsons as the giant offspring of his original invention. Outside and standing beside a farm gate overlooking Hunterston B below Professor Fells concludes by saying that Parsons was a man of enormous ingenuity of mind with the ability to pursue his ideas until they worked in practice. Title: End of Part One Part Two Back in the Tyne Tees studio Ian Breach leads a discussion on the interests that power Parsons’s turbines; coal, oil and nuclear energy with John Spence Conservative MP for Ryedale, Ian Wrigglesworth Social Democratic Party (SDP) MP for Stockton South and SDP Industry Spokesperson and Ted Leadbetter Labour MP for Hartlepool and a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy. The discussion ends and Ian Breach provides details on next week’s edition which reports from Scotland and the growing crisis in public housing which maybe faced in the region. Credit: Presenter Ian Breach Film Camera Fred Crone Sound Ed Gray Editors Charles Slater, Krysia Carter-Giez Film Director Malcolm Dickinson Associate Producer Alex Murchie Political Editor John Sleight Director Bernard Preston Producer Bob Farnworth Title: Acknowledgements to NEI Parsons Ltd, Museum of Science and Engineering (Tyne and Wear County Council), Newcastle upon Tyne city Libraries End title: Tyne Tees. © Tyne Tees Television Ltd. MCMLXXXIV