Loftus Perkins (8 May 1834 – 27 April 1891) was an English

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, particularly involved in developing the practical technologies of

central heating A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces. ...

and refrigeration.

Life

He was born in London, the son of

Angier March Perkins ] Angier March Perkins (21 August 1799 – 22 April 1881) was an American engineer who worked most of his career in the United Kingdom and was instrumental in developing the new technologies of central heating. Life Perkins was born in Old Newbu ...

and was likely

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

d to his father. His grandfather,

Jacob Perkins Jacob Perkins (9 July 1766 – 30 July 1849) was an American inventor, mechanical engineer and physicist. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Perkins was apprenticed to a goldsmith. He soon made himself known with a variety of useful mechanical ...

, had arrived in England from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and the family still had many contacts in the U.S. so, in 1853-4 Loftus worked in America. After further work for his father, and in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and Berlin before establishing the

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments o ...

of A. M. Perkins & Son with his father.McConnell (2004) He devoted his energies to heating and refrigeration and combined great imagination with practical engineering instincts. He also contributed to the development of the

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

. Among his innovations were: *The "Polly Perkins" - mobile steam

oven upA double oven A ceramic oven An oven is a tool which is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been us ...

s for the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

; *Steam ovens for use in bakeries; *High-pressure steam

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

s; *''The Anthracite'' - a 70-ton

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

powered by high-pressure steam; *''Express'' - a 160 ft steamship powered by a Perkins 800 horse power quadruple compound engine; *the "

Arktos In Ancient Greek mythology, Arktos (also written as Arctus) was a centaur who fought against the Lapith spearmen. It may also refer to 'bears' in Greek. Mythology Arktos is briefly mentioned in Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 178 ff (trans. Evelyn ...

" cold chamber (1888) for preserving food.

Family

He married Emily Patton (born 1837/8) from New York. Loftus was joined in the family business by his sons: *Loftus Patton Perkins (born 1867); and *Ludlow Patton Perkins (1872–1928). Perkins died in London and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. The firm subsequently merged with Joseph Baker, Sons & Co., as

Baker Perkins Baker Perkins Ltd is a British engineering company for food processing equipment headquartered in Peterborough, England. Its product portfolio offers different technologies and applications for the bread, biscuit, confectionery, snack, and break ...

Memberships

*Member of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 member ...

, (1861); *Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, (1881)

References

Bibliography

*Obituaries: **'' The Engineer'', 1 May 1891, 349 ---- *McConnell, A. (2004)
Perkins, Loftus (1834–1891)
, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, accessed 21 August 2007 *
The Baker Perkins Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Loftus 1834 births 1891 deaths English engineers Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

Life

Family

Memberships

See also

References

Bibliography