Dartmouth Visitor Centre
Dartmouth Visitor Centre
Tel: 01803 834224
Email: visitorcentre@exploredartmouth.co.uk
Opening Hours
10-4 Monday to Saturday
For anyone exploring Dartmouth, the Visitor Centre (Tourist Information Centre) should be your first stop. Here, you can acquire maps, postcards, books, crabbing gear for the kids, the essential magnet and souvenirs. The wonderful team of volunteers can help you plan your visit. They have a ready supply of ferry and bus schedules for the area and can share details about the numerous town events.
The Visitor Centre is also a stamping point for the South West Coast Path Passport scheme.
Newcomen Engine
It is also the home of the Newcomen Engine giving you the opportunity to witness the world’s oldest preserved working steam engine.
Innovator Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729) devised the inaugural successful atmospheric steam engine, securing his position among the trailblazers of the Industrial Revolution. Born in Dartmouth in 1663, Thomas Newcomen significantly influenced the industrial revolution with his creation of the atmospheric engine.
By 1685, Newcomen had established himself as an ironmonger in his hometown. Among his prominent clients were mine owners in Cornwall, grappling with substantial flooding challenges as their mines delved deeper. Traditional methods of water removal, such as manual pumping or horse-drawn bucket teams, proved sluggish and costly, prompting a quest for alternatives.
In 1712, Newcomen introduced the world’s first successful atmospheric steam engine. This engine utilized condensed steam to create a vacuum for water pumping. It emerged as a crucial means of draining water from deep mines, thus constituting a pivotal element in Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Newcomen’s innovation facilitated the drainage of mines to unprecedented depths, economically enabling the extraction of coal, iron, and other essential metals pivotal to industrial expansion.
By the time of his death in 1729, Thomas Newcomen had overseen the operation of at least 100 of his engines across Britain and Europe.