Heating
&
Ventilating
Hall of Fame
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Arthur H
Barker, 1870-1954 |
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Barker had a distinguished career in heating and ventilating. He was one of the outstanding figures of his time and contributed greatly to the technology of the industry. He gained a BSc and a BA at London and was the Senior Whitworth Scholar (1895). He began his industrial career as a fitter with Henry Berry of Leeds (hydraulic engineers), moved to Gwynne (pumps) as a draughtsman, to Haden in Trowbridge and then to J F Phillips. He later set up as a consulting engineer. Barker invented a steam
accelerator, the Cable System, for increasing
flow in hot water systems (1903) and patented a
method of radiant heating (1908), being regarded as
the Father of this concept. He also published his
classic textbook Barker on Heating (1912) and was
the first lecturer on heating and ventilating at
London University. He deduced (with Kinoshita) the
1.3 power law for radiator output (1918) and went on
to become President of the IHVE (1922).
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Oscar Faber 1886
- 1956 |
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English civil, electrical and
mechanical engineer. Made his reputation designing
reinforced concrete structures. Chief Engineer,
Trollope & Colls, when he worked on many
important buildings. Set up as a consulting engineer
(1920). Acted as a consultant to the Bank of England
(1925 – 1942) for structure, heating and air
conditioning plant with J R Kell, and electrical
systems. Responsible for numerous city banks and for
the Earls Court Exhibition Building (1938). He
advised on the design of Sydney Harbour Bridge and
the Mersey tunnel. Wrote (1936, with Kell) the
standard textbook Heating and air conditioning of
Buildings. President IStructE (1936). President IHVE
(1944 – 1945, serving two terms). Awarded OBE for
his work during the Second World War. Involved in
the air conditioning of the rebuilt House of Commons
(1943 – 1950), for which he was made CBE (1951). His
biography (by his son John) reveals that in spite of
his brilliance he was not always easy to work with.
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George Nelson
Haden 1817 - 1892 |
Apprenticed into his
fathers and uncles firm of G & J Haden in
Trowbridge Wiltshire. Took over control of the
firm following his fathers death in 1856 and
expanded the business manufacturing and erecting
thousands of warm air ventilating stoves during his
lifetime (each one having its own unique number)
in Cathedrals, Churches, Stately Mansions and public
buildings . He controlled the firm to operate as
designers, manufacturers and installers of heating and
ventilating systems, and worked closely with many
famous architects of the Victorian period including
George Gilbert Scott. Carried out many prestigious
contracts including the Manchester Assize
Courts 1863, The Law Courts Strand London, St Pancras
Station and Hotel and the Reading Rooms at the British
Museum. Opened branch offices in London,
Manchester and Birmingham.
Installed in the Manchester Assize Courts possibly the
first spinning disk air washer to clean and cool the
ventilation air. Opened a foundry in Trowbridge in
1874 to manufacture all the components necessary for
the installation of heating systems. |
John Robert Kell 1902 - 1983 |
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English engineer. Initially worked as
a contractor. Joined (1926) the Office of Oscar
Faber. He was deeply involved in all aspects of the
building services design for the Bank of England,
which involved on site electricity generation with
waste heat recovery. Wrote (1936 with Faber) the
standard textbook Heating and air conditioning of
Buildings. Later his work on the 12 acre Earls court
Exhibition building involved conducting full-scale
tests on the special ventilating jet nozzles (IHVE
Journal, March 1938). Taken into partnership
by Faber (1948). Responsible for the air
conditioning of the rebuilt House of Commons (1943 –
1950). President IHVE (1952). Remarked “that of the
forty five Presidents to date, only five have been
consultants.” Made CBE (1966). Awarded IHVE
Gold Medal (1967). Associated with the Abbey Church
at St Albans for many years, Kell has the unusual
distinction of having his bust carved in stone,
among the roof gargoyles.
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Angier March
Perkins 1799 - 1881 |
No Photograph
or likeness of Angier March Perkins has yet been found. |
Engineer and inventor, second son of Jacob
Perkins. Born in Newbury Port Massachusetts USA
he came to England in 1829, and was for some time
associated with his father in perfecting his method of
engraving bank notes. Perkins
was also very interested in using steam at
very high pressure, and worked on high-pressure hot
water heating systems utilizing small diameter piping
in closed sealed systems. He devised the Perkins
system British Patent No. 6146 (1831) using 25 mm tube
with 6 mm wall thickness with a furnace apparatus
designed to maintain water temperatures at about
350oF, though this sometimes reached a dangerous
550oF. He started his manufacturing business in
Harpur Street London which was very successful and
then moved into larger premises in Seaford Street.
Grays Inn Road. London.
The HPHW system was improved from time to time by additional patents granted in 1839 BP 8311 and 1841 BP 9664. The system initially proved popular in England being installed in the British Museum, the Royal Society of Arts, and Saye House (for the Duke of Wellington). |
Wilson Weatherley
Phipson, 1838 - 1891 |
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David
Boswell
Reid 1805 - 1863 |
Benjamin Thompson,
Count Rumford 1753 – 1814 |
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Thompson was born in Woburn, Massachusetts. After a short period as a schoolmaster in the nearby town of Rumford, his Anglophile views took him to London. His experiments with gunpowder won him election as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He returned to America as a British Officer, but the peace brought him back to England (1783) where he was knighted for his services. As a friend of the Elector, he went to Bavaria and was appointed Minister of War and Police and also Grand Chamberlain. He introduced army education, drained marshes, established workshops, and provided relief for the unemployed. He is credited with introducing Watt’s steam engine to the Continent, and he was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire (1791) choosing his title from his former American home. During Bavarian service he grew interested in the problem of heat, which at that time was thought of as a fluid (caloric) that could be poured from one substance to another. Rumford, while boring cannon in Munich (1798) noticed that the blocks of metal grew so hot, as the boring tool gouged them out, they had to be cooled constantly with water. Rumford’s conclusion was that the mechanical motion of the borer was being converted into heat and that heat was therefore a form of motion. Returning to England he helped establish the Royal Institution. He refused to patent his many inventions, which included a double boiler, a drip coffeepot, the pressure cooker, and a kitchen range; he also devised his Rules for fireplace construction. |
Thomas Tregold 1788 - 1829 |
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Tredgold received little education
as a boy. He was an apprentice carpenter and later
(1813) in the London practice of an architect Wm
Atkinson. He studied chemistry, mechanics, geology
and mathematics as well as French and German.
During the decade from 1815, he published many
technical papers, on elasticity and strength of
materials, on flow of fluids and on heat. Apart
from books on carpentry, cast-iron, railways and
the steam engine, he published (1824) Principles
of Warming and Ventilating. It transformed an
empirical art into a numerate technology and
brought together engineering, physiology and
comfort.
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Neville S
Billington 1915 - 2009 |
The contribution made by
Neville Billington to the heating & ventilating
industry has been impressive with a continuous list of
achievements that commenced straight after he had
finished at University.
Always showing a keen interest in the research side of the industry, he still found the time to write and publish numerous Papers, Articles and Books outlining the issues he was researching. His involvement with the Institution has been an ongoing role, serving on several Committees, chairing Study Groups, attending Government and other committees on all matters relating to Building Services Engineering. He also liked to be
involved with the history of the industry, writing
articles on the subject and was an active member of
the Institution’s Heritage Group.
His dedication towards improving our technical knowledge of the science of heat transfer by his publications has brought suitable recognition with the rewards of many medals. For his contribution to the industry he was awarded the OBE Medal of the Order of the British Empire. To
read and discover about his many activities and
accomplishments throughout 60 years of service
dedicated to Building Engineering Services and the
Institution.
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