Introduction Two elements are needed to make steam - Water and Fire. Fire can be used to turn water into steam and the British discovered that they had a ready source of fire in the form of coal. The use of coal to make steam provided power for the industrial revolution, helped reshape the social landscape of Britain through the expansion of the railways, and the export of coal helped fund an empire. With coal reserves becoming increasingly uneconomic, Britain turned to oil, natural gas and nuclear energy to provide the fire, as well as electricity to drive her railways.
Steam still provides the most common means of converting heat into mechanical work.
The reciprocating steam engine may be a thing of the past, but the steam turbine reigns supreme in our ships and power stations. Having looked at these sites, you should have an idea about the form of the early steam engines and how they work. This technology enabled Britain to become the workshop of the world, transformed the social landscape of Britain and helped finance the growth of the British Empire. Industrialisation of Britain Britain was the home of the Industrial Revolution that transformed our country, re-modelled our society, and, I think, had a profound and lasting effect on our physic. The steam engine enabled power to be supplied to multiple machines through a series of rotating shafts, belts and pulleys.