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Simon Goodrich was the Mechanist (Chief Engineer) of the Portsmouth Dockyard. In November and December 1799 he made fact-finding visits to a number of industrial cities and sites, and his detailed notes, preserved in the Science Museum, contain many observations on the industrialists he met, factories he visited and other aspects of his travels.

They are an important window on a critical period in the Industrial Revolution, when new technologies and materials were being innovated, and entrepreneurs were changing the economy of England.

About the Speaker

John Kanefsky studied and taught at the University of Exeter in the 1970s, and was awarded his PhD “The Diffusion of Power Technology in British Industry 1760-1870” in 1979.

He joined the National Coal Board, first as one of the authors of their history of coal mining then in management until privatisation. He was subsequently at the Coal Authority and thereafter had a varied career in the NHS and educational research before retirement.

He is now an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter. His research focuses on 18th century steam power and on Devon in the 18th and 19th centuries.