IEEC4 – Fourth International Early Engines Conference
Location
The Fourth International Early Engines Conference (IEEC4), will take place 20th-22nd March 2026, in and around Bristol, United Kingdom. The format will be similar to previous IEECs, including publication of Conference Transactions.
Venue
Kingswood Heritage Museum, Warmley, near Bristol, South Gloucestershire, UK.
The Museum is one of the area’s key heritage sites and in addition to engine and mining displays, features models of metal smelting and the largest collection of Douglas Motor Bikes.
The Museum complex lies south of the A420 and borders the Ring Road A4174 and Tower Road North. Entrance is on Tower Lane. GPS: The museum buildings are at BS30 8XT. Map Reference: OS Map 172, 667 728
Overview
The main conference will run from noon Friday 20th March 2026 until noon on Sunday 22nd March 2026.
In addition to guided tours at Kingswood, optional Pre- and Post-conference group visits to a number of surviving Newcomen Engine Houses are planned for Thursday 19th March and Monday 23rd March 2026. Paying delegates will receive full details, but the outline is given below to encourage early confirmation.
Accommodation
Central Bristol is obviously well served with hotels so there is ample choice, see Visit Bristol for further information. However, like many large cities, travel can be a hassle and for those of you wanting something nearer to Kingswood Museum, the two nearest, on the A4174 Ring Road are:
- Premier Inn (Bristol East, Emersons Green)
- Emersons Green, 200/202 Westerleigh Rd, Bristol BS16 7AN – Tel. 0333 777 3961
- Travelodge (Bristol Emersons Green)
- Fieldfare, Emersons Green, Bristol, BS16 7FN – Tel. 08719 846584
Local travel during the conference
- If you need help with lifts or anything else please let us know in advance and we will endeavour to arrange – if you are new to IEEC, we will “buddy” you up with other individuals or groups so you are not left by yourself (unless you want to be of course!).
Event and Visits
- During the Conference:
- Friday 20th March 2026 – from 11.00 – Delegates can access guided tours of Kingswood Museum grounds (approx. 1 hour). Conference will finish no later than 18.00 so there will be a second opportunity for a guided tour at this point.
- Saturday 21st March 2026 – Mystery special venue (details to follow!) from 19.00 – less than 20 miles away. A coach will take delegates from Kingswood Museum to our mystery destination – there will be an “extra” charge for this but it will allow us to travel without concerns. (Open to Full Conference and Saturday Day conference delegates only – separate payment)
Please note external visits are not covered by the conference ticket and detailed logistics are subject to change.
- Pre- and Post-Conference visits (Please confirm if intending to attend)
- Thursday 19th March 2026 – Car share tour of the Nailsea and Brislington engine houses immediately south of Bristol. Start at Nailsea around 10.00. David Hardwick is leading/organising. Confirmation required – please also state if can offer car share for other attendees.
- Sunday 22nd March 2026 – From 14.30 visit to the 1791 Serridge Engine House. Visit duration 2 hours, and requires splitting into smaller groups. Old clothes and boots are recommended. Hosted by Hades Caving Club who have arranged temporary BCA insurance for which there will be a small charge. NB the majority of the site is underground requiring ladder access (less than 20’), lights and safety helmets will be provided but bring your own if you have them. Confirmation required.
- Monday 23rd March 2026 – 9.00 Meet at Kingswood Museum for car sharing trip to Brandy Bottom Colliery. Hosted and guided by AIBT colleagues who have been excavating and conserving the site since 2011 (min 2 hours). Confirmation required.
- Monday 23rd AFTERNOON – Further care share trip to local engine house visits for hard core enthusiasts available! Confirmation required.
- Confirmations, questions etc to steve.grudgings@btinternet.com
The variety of engine and IA sites locally precludes any opportunity for boredom, although there aren’t large single engine sites that can accommodate the whole group of delegates; however we do have a very special location planned for Saturday evening.
Prices and Booking
Full Tickets £120, and Day Tickets of £25, £45, £35 and £30 are available (see booking form below)
Please note: Attendee numbers are limited to 70, so we encourage you to book early.
Booking form
Ticket options
A. FULL CONFERENCE TICKET – £120
Representing excellent value for full conference delegates, includes all conference sessions, buffet lunch on Friday and Saturday, and evening meal on Friday, with coffee and tea on all three days. Price also includes copies of the final Conference Transactions.
B. INDIVIDUAL DAY SESSION TICKETS
– Options
| Day Tickets IEEC4, March 2026 | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Friday 20th (day only) | £25 | Includes: – lunch (finger buffet from 12.00) – tea and coffee on arrival/mid-afternoon NB Delegate Registration desk open from 10.00 Conference begins at 13:00 and should close by 18.00. |
| 2. Friday 20th (day and evening) | £45 | As above, plus evening meal at Kingswood Museum from 19.00 (Hot Buffet and Cash Bar). Event closes by 21.30. |
| 3. Saturday 21st (day only) | £35 | Venue open from 8.30. Conference starts at 9.00 Includes lunch (12.30), tea and coffee (mid-morning and mid-afternoon). (Optional) There will a special “mystery off-site” event on Saturday evening from 19.00 (payable separately). Please confirm if you wish to attend. |
| 4. Sunday 22nd (day only) | £30 | Venue open from 8.30. Conference starts at 9.00 Includes mid-morning tea and coffee. Conference closes by 13.00 |
Please note that day tickets do NOT include copies of the published conference transactions.
If you have specific dietary or access needs, please describe let us know and we will endeavour to comply.
Payment
- By Cheque (see booking form for address details)
- By Bank Transfer – ‘Early Engines’ Starling Bank Account
- Account Number 01444552
- Sort Code 608371.
- Please include your surname as the payment reference AND send an email to admin@earlyengines.org to confirm your postal address (so we can send the conference transactions).
- NB If the ‘Early Engines’ name does not match for BACS online banking, the individual named account authoriser is ‘Steve Grudgings’ organiser of IEEC4 (some banks require the authoriser name)
Programme
You can expect coverage of local engines and engine builders. We already have proposals for papers on:
- Steve Grudgings – Calley to Curr revisited (with specific Bristol references)
- Rick Stewart – The Coster Family and their pumps
- Ben Russell – The beginning and end of the coal fired economy
- Ben Russell – Engine Builders and Enginewrights
- Steve Grudgings – Bristol’s Engine Builders
- Steve Grudgings – Water Shafts – An exploration of definitions and purposes
- Carol Crompton – The Earl’s Own Engineer?
- Steve Grudgings – Charlesworth’s Yorkshire Engines
- Ian Casteldine – Greenhill Collieries Atmospheric Engine and other Early Ripley Engines
- David Hardwick – Bristol’s Engines Houses
- David Hardwick – Early Engines in the Bristol Coalfield
- John Kanefsky – Life after William Brown: Colliery Engines in the Northeastern Coalfield, 1780-1800
- John Kanefsky – Boulton and Watt – A reassessment
- Steve Grudgings – Somerset Colliery Waterwheels
- Peter Konečný – Moving the First Atmospheric Engine in Central Europe: Where Did Potter‘s and Fischer‘s Engine from Althandel End Up?
- Chris Hodrien – The ‘early days’ of the horizontal engine design
- Bill Whitehead – Boulton and Watts Bell Crank Engines
- Chris Hodrien – Bell crank engine at Upminster windmill
- Maurice Handley & Ben Croxton – Early Newcomen Type Engines in Merseyside
- David Perrett – The Steam Engines at London Bridge: from Savery to Boulton & Watt
- Robert Waterhouse – An early 18th century underground water engine in West Devon
- John Townley – Raising Steam – the growth of steam power in Birmingham 1780-1850
- David Throup – Digital monitoring for operation and health at Crofton Beam Engines
- Brano Meres – Reconstructing the Althandel “Fire Engine”: From Archival Sources to Digital Interpretation
- Richard Lamb – Calculations that powered the Nation: the tabulated proportions of the Newcomen engine as published by Messrs. Beighton, Smeaton and Curr
- David Hardwick – Early Engines in the Forest of Dean
(Last updated: January 2026)
Call for Papers
The call for papers closed – as of the end of October 2025.
Contact: admin@earlyengines.org
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