James Watt papers added to UNESCO Memory of the World register

Papers recording James Watt's work on the steam engine, held in the archives at the Library of Birmingham, have been added to UNESCO's UK Memory of the World register, the documentary equivalent of World Heritage Sites.

The announcement was made on International Archives Day, 9 June.

What has been recognised

The documents accepted for the register are two of Watt's experiment notebooks, including the famous kettle experiment, and a series of letters from Watt to Dr John Roebuck describing his modifications to the steam engine.

Together, they show Watt's careful process of experimenting, testing and modifying, which took place over several years. On 5 January 1769, he was granted a patent "For a Method of Lessening the Consumption of Steam and Fuel in Fire Engines".

His invention of the separate condenser greatly reduced the amount of fuel needed to run a steam engine, making it much cheaper to operate. The register recognises it as one of the most important scientific and technological advances of the industrial revolution.

In famous company

The UNESCO Memory of the World register aims to preserve significant documentary heritage around the world. The UK register celebrates some of the country's most exceptional archives, including the Domesday Book, the death warrant of King Charles I and the personal archive of Sir Winston Churchill.

The Archives of Soho

The papers are held by the Archives and Collections service at the Library of Birmingham and form part of the Archives of Soho, the collective name for the records of James Watt, Matthew Boulton and their firm, Boulton and Watt.

Councillor Jayne Francis, cabinet member for education, skills and culture, said: "The Library of Birmingham contains a huge range of historically important documents, and those relating to James Watt are some of the most interesting and significant. It's a real honour for the library and the city that UNESCO has recognised these archives in this way."

Watt and Birmingham

James Watt was born in Greenock, in Scotland, in 1736. He moved to Birmingham in 1774 to go into partnership with the manufacturer Matthew Boulton to build his improved steam engine. The Boulton and Watt engine became one of the driving forces of the industrial revolution in Britain and around the world.

Watt was also a scientific instrument maker, civil engineer, chemist and inventor, and a member of the Lunar Society, the famous group of thinkers and industrialists who met in Birmingham. He lived in Handsworth for 30 years until his death in 1819.

Last year, the city marked the bicentenary of his death with a programme of events led by the Lunar Society, including an exhibition at the Library of Birmingham, Watt in the World, which displayed his notebooks and letters alongside paintings, silverware and scientific instruments.

The Library of Birmingham is currently closed to the public because of the coronavirus lockdown, but the recognition is a reminder of the treasures held in its archives, and of the part Birmingham played in changing the world.