Moore ( 1812-1877 ) was an engineer based in Liverpool . His company , Sampson Moore & Co. specialised in casting large iron structures and ownded North Foundry in Gt Howard Street Liverpool . Sampson Moore & Co. supplied mortars for the Royal Navy and goods were shipped overseas on the 105 ft wooden steamship , the '' ' SS James Dennistoun ' '' . In 1876 Sampson Moore designed and supplied the first ever electric overhead crane , which was used to hoist guns at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich , London . Specifically he patented the improved winch mechanism that allowed the lifting of heavier weights ( such as naval guns ) by an electric motor . Electric overhead cranes were subsequently installed in several foundries in the north of England and were considered one of many technical advancements of the British Industrial Revolution . The invention was celebrated in the Opening Scene of the London 2012 Olympics , where an electric overhead crane lifted cast Olympic rings out of a staged foundry in the Pandemonium scene . Other notable inventions included a machine for rolling tobacco and machines for rolling and polishing rice
Opening Scene of the London 2012 Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Sampson Moore