Albion Mills - Norwich - Beam Engine
The last documentary evidence so far found of Riches & Co. as they had by then become, is in connection with the modernisation of the ancient Beam engine powering the Albion Flour Mills in King Street Norwich, an entry, drawing and photographs from the steam engine records of my late and much missed friend Ronald H. Clark and a press cutting from the local paper prior to its destruction in 1934 are here appended.
Ronald, like his father Harry Osborn Clark before him, was recording details of steam engines and other interesting machinery long before the term 'industrial archaeology' was coined.
This sketch and photographs of the governor of a hitherto unknown type, which controls an expansion valve giving much increased control and fuel economy (no doubt also as a result of increased boiler pressure indicated by the date of the boiler being new at this time) shows what a progressive company Riches & Watts were - why they vanished with such a strong grasp on modern technology and an established track record is a mystery, maybe the original partners had no descendents and just died or decided to retire.
A press photo of their last recorded job just before its destruction.
As an interesting footnote, the engine is described as being of unknown make but from the 1850's, the testimonial below is from the 1859 Howard, Riches and Watts catalogue, in view of this and assuming it to be the same engine, it may be that one of their last jobs was to modernise one of their earliest engines.
Update 2001 Mr Bryan C. Read, who's family owned the Albion Mills, has kindly provided a copy of Goads Insurance Map for 1897 showing the exact location of the engine within the factory during the time it was Coopers Biscuit Factory. The building it occupied is still standing but is likely to be demolished for a new housing development in the near future. Mr Read recalls being shown the engine as a young boy and his father being upset that it had to be demolished to make way for a 120 HP electric motor made by Laurence & Scott who had their works a few hundred yards away on the other side of the River Wensum, at that time their Chief Engineer would have been one Harry Osborne Clarke - RHC's father - perhaps a conflict of interests for Norfolk's earliest steam engine historian and preservationist !