Lloyd George predicted that the Great War would be a war between engineers. Little did he know how of many of those engineers would be women – including these at the Parsons works at Heaton in Newcastle. Women did everything from rewiring warships to assembling aircraft. Read more...
Turbinia is the supreme symbol of the steam turbine, which revolutionized propulsion of ships and allowed electricity to be generated on a vast scale. Its inventor, Charles Parsons, was described as the man who invented the modern world. His influence is ranked with that of Watt and Faraday. Read more...
William Parsons, third earl of Rosse, invented a record-breaking telescope that remained the largest in the world for 70 years and made possible the detection of spiral galaxies. Its speculum, or mirror, is on show at London’s Science Museum. Read more...
Birr Castle, County Offaly, is the ancestral home of the Parsons family and the site of Ireland’s Historic Science Centre. The giant telescope known as the Leviathan of Parsonstown can still be seen in the castle grounds. Read more...