The Royal Navy had evolved with Britain's development by the middle of the eighteenth century into what has … See more

The Royal Navy used large numbers of blocks, which were all hand-made by contractors. Their quality was not consistent, the supply problematic and they were expensive. A typical ship of the line needed ab… See more

The machines were of 22 types and totalled 45. They were driven by two 30 horsepower (22 kW) steam engines. The machines included circular saws, pin turning machines and morticing machines. With these mach… See more

These machines utilised several features for the first time which have since become commonplace in machine design.
• The boring operation indented gauging points in the wooden blocks which the clamps of t… See more

Brunel's patent specification shows wooden framed machines, which, while they show many of the principles of the machines actually installed bear little resemblance to the final designs. The machines submitted by Brunel t… See more

These machines and the block mills attracted an enormous amount of interest from the time of their erection, ranging from Admiral Lord Nelson on the morning of the day he embarked from Portsmouth for the Battle of Tr… See more

The Block Mills have remained in constant Navy occupation ever since and in consequence are not open to the public. Manufacture of blocks using these machines naturally declined over the years, production … See more