The engine was ordered by Samuel Whitbread in 1784 to replace a horse wheel at the Chiswell Street premises of his London brewery.

[6] The drive gear of the engine, still evident today, was connected to a series of wooden line shafts which drove machinery within the brewery.

[6][7] In a marketing coup for both the brewer and the engine's manufacturer, King George III and Queen Charlotte visited the brewery on 24 May 1787.

[13] It underwent a series of alterations in 1795, converting it from single-acting to double-acting; it was alleged at the time that this conversion improved its power to 52 kilowatts (70 hp), but the Powerhouse Museum claims this is false.

[14] A centrifugal governor, which moderates the level of steam provided if the engine begins to overload was added some years after this, and beam and main driving rod, both originally of wood, were replaced in sand-cast iron.

The first is a separate condenser, which increases the efficiency of the engine by allowing the main cylinder to remain hot at all times.

[15][16] The engine is featured on the Bank of England £50 note along with Matthew Boulton, James Watt, and the Soho Manufactory.