Hello!  My name is Euan, I am a physics PhD student at the University of Exeter and I volunteer at Crofton Beam Engines (www.croftonbeamengines.org), home to an 1812 Boulton and Watt steam engine, the oldest in the world still functioning in its original capacity and location.

As well as assisting with normal maintenance work, my duties on steaming days include driving the engines and firing the massive Lancashire boiler, which to run requires around a ton and a quarter of coal per day.  It is amazing that in its original working days one or two people would run the place!

What I love about older technology is how it can engage with visitors, especially when kept working in a manner reminiscent of how it operated in the past.  Visiting Crofton as a child helped guide me along my career path, volunteering here always makes for a great talking point.  I joined the AIA not only to contribute to their efforts but to also learn more about the field outside of my formative experiences.