Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Table engine from the saw mill of Cadoxton Brewery, Neath. No paintwork remaining. Used in the Old Brewery, Neath, until 1852 when it was moved to power the sawmill of the Cadoxton Brewery, Neath. Cylinder: 5 3/8" x 20". Output: probably less than 1 hp. Efficiency: 8%.

This is a table engine from the sawmill of Codoxton Brewery, Neath. A single-cylinder engine mounted on a table, it was made sometime between 1825 and 1835 by the Neath Abbey Iron Works. This engine shows the high standard of the company’s early workmanship, which became famous throughout Britain. The company also made railway locomotives, iron ships, and a great variety of other engineering products. When the table engine was invented the only other prime mover in existence was the beam engine. Unlike the beam engine the table engine was portable, small, capacity and easy to move, and often carried out the equivalent functions of the modern electric motor. (Source: Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum Guidebook, 1984).