Portrait of Richard Trevithick by John Linnell, 1816 (Science Museum, London)
These pages have been created by the Trevithick Society, one of the oldest industrial preservation societies in the UK, using Google maps to locate the most important places in the life of Richard Trevithick – an inventor of brilliance and one of the great pioneers of the Industrial Revolution.
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Places in the life of Richard Trevithick
South and Central America (chronological)
Peru Map
Cerro de Pasco
1813. The eventual arrival of a shipment of Trevithick-designed mining equipment around Cape Horn to Peru consisted of four pumping engines, four winding engines, two crushing mills, four boilers, a ninth engine for the Mint in Lima and sundry lengths of pipe.
Lima
1817 Don Ricardo Trevithick arrives at Lima. Installed a water wheel to improve the production of gold and silver coinage. Disputes with management of the silver mine at Cerro de Pasco. Further problems related to invasions of Peru. Mines close and Trevithick moves on, prospecting for minerals.
1822. In Chorillos Bay, off Lima's port of Callao, Trevithick salvages a frigate using the method he had perfected at Margate. Buys a two-masted square rigged ship and sails south to Chile, pearl-fishing and trading, arriving in 1823.
Chile
Copiapo, Valparaiso
1823. Trevithick was copper mining at Copiapo, Valparaiso, and returned to Peru, then sailed a further 700 miles north to Guayaquil in Ecuador.
Ecuador
Guayaquil
1823. In Guayaquil Trevithick hears of rich gold and silver mining in Costa Rica and sets sail a further 1000 miles north to Cordillera in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Cordillera
1823. Trevithick successfully mines in Costa Rica but is unable to benefit from his work.
1824. Trevithick involved in unhappy negotiations with Costa Rican government concerning the mining of gold at Cordillera and pearl fishing with his diving bell off Puntarenas. Met James Gerard, a Scot, at Puntarenas and decided it is time to go home.
Cordillera Mountains
1825/7 Trevithick and Gerard, Gerard’s servant, six local men and two young Costa Rica brothers called Montelegre set out to cross the Cordillera mountain range to Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean, a journey that involved rafting and hacking through jungle while they foraged to stay alive. They eventually arrived at the Columbian port of Cartagena.
Colombia
Cartagena
1827 Trevithick, Gerard and the two boys meet Robert Stephenson, son of George at Cartagena. Trevithick remained in Cartagena while the remainder of the party travelled with Stephenson to North America. They became shipwrecked on the way and visited Niagara Falls. They arrived back at Liverpool in November 1827. Trevithick had arrived in Falmouth by packet boat in October 1827.
List of places
Source for this page: Anthony Burton, Richard Trevithick, Giant of Steam, 2001
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