School of Engineering

A brief history of the department

James Watt

THE PRACTICE OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING at Glasgow dates back to James Watt (left) who in the 1760s, while working as a mathematical-instrument maker for the university, did some of his early work on the development of the steam engine.

Mechanical Engineering as a Department came about in a series of steps as summarised here.

The first Chair in Civil Engineering and Mechanics was established in 1840, the first appointment being Professor Lewis Gordon. In 1855, he was succeeded by another famous name, Macquorn Rankine who, apart from his better known achievements, was influential in moving the Department from High Street to Gilmorehill. Rankine still held the chair in 1872 when the first B.Sc. was introduced for any appropriate degree of study, including engineering.

In 1901 the James Watt Laborotories were opened, opposite Pearce Lodge and facing Kelvingrove Park, which is where the Mechanical Engineering Department is today. In the 1920s two more chairs were introduced, 'The Theory and Practice of Heat Engines' and 'James Watt Professor of Electrical Engineering'.

In 1923 the Faculty of Engineering was established and Honours degrees in engineering were introduced.

In 1947 the chair of Aeronautics and Fluid Mechanics was established and in in 1952, the chair in Civil Engineering and Mechanics was renamed the chair of Civil Engineering and chair in the theory and practice of heat engines was renamed the chair in Mechanical Engineering.

In 1958 the extension to the engineering building was completed (the James Watt South building of today). In 1970 the Rankine building was opened in Oakfield Avenue to house the Departments of Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering. This left the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and Naval Architecture in the James Watt building.

More recently, with the creation of the joint University of Glasgow/University of Strathclyde Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (based at Stathclyde's city centre campus), the James Watt Building has been the home of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Aerospace Engineeing.