Horseley Ironworks
The Horseley Ironworks (sometimes spelled Horsley) was a major ironworks in the Tipton area in the county of Staffordshire, now the West Midlands, England.
History
Founded by Aaron Manby,[1] it is most famous for constructing the first iron steamer, The Aaron Manby, in 1821.[2][3] The boat was assembled at Rotherhithe. She was only the first of a number of steamboats built on the "knock-down" principle. The ironworks have also been responsible for the manufacture of numerous canal and railway bridges of the 19th century.
The ironworks were built near the
With the increasing popularity of canals, the ironworks quickly became popular for manufacturing canal bridges, mainly in the local vicinity.[7] Canal bridges made by the ironworks include the Engine Arm Aqueduct (1825), two roving bridges at Smethwick Junction (1828),[8][9] Galton Bridge (1829), and Braunston Towpath Bridges (1830).[10][11] By the end of the canal construction era, Horseley Ironworks had emerged as one of the most prolific manufacturers of canal bridges in the West Midlands region,[5] especially in Birmingham.[12] This was a result of their signature bridge design which had become popular amongst canal constructors. The design has been replicated more recently, for example in Birmingham during the regeneration of Gas Street Basin where Worcester Bar is linked to Gas Street.[13]
Horseley Ironworks were also responsible for manufacturing in the
The company also manufactured construction steelwork for the pier of Ryde, the Palace Theatre in London, Rugby railway station, a seaplane hangar in Las Palmas and the Dome of Discovery at the 1951 Festival of Britain.[16]
People who have worked for the iron foundry include Charles Manby, the son of Aaron Manby, James Thomson,[17] William Johnson[18] and Richard Roberts.[19]
Closing
The firm moved in 1865 to a site on the now defunct Dixon's Branch, off the BCN New Main Line (Island Line), near the South Staffordshire Railway line. The factory survived under a succession of owners until 1991, when it was closed down and subsequently redeveloped as a housing estate.[4]
Locations
Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) |
OS Grid Ref | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Horseley Ironworks (original site) | 52°32′02″N 2°03′06″W / 52.5338°N 2.0517°W | SO964929 | on Toll End Communication Canal |
Horseley Ironworks (later site) | 52°31′47″N 2°02′38″W / 52.5296°N 2.0438°W | SO970924 | on Dixon's Branch |
Gallery
-
Winson Green Junction
-
Two roving bridges at Smethwick Junction, 1828
-
Name on roving bridge at Smethwick Junction
-
Engine Arm Aqueduct
-
Two bridges at Bromford Junction
-
"Vignoles Bridge" in Coventry
References
- ^ Annual Register, Edward Burke, 1885, Rivingtons
- ISBN 0521261732)
- ISBN 158340631X)
- ^ ISBN 0-907864-49-X
- ^ a b c The Tame Mills of Staffordshire, Douglas Dilworth, 1976, Phillimore
- ^ Time 2 Time: Newsletter 7 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sandwell MBC: Top 10 Canal Attractions Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0727725769)
- ^ Sandwell MBC: Smethwick Summit Canals Project Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 072771970X)
- ^ Suffolk Cam: Grand Union Canal Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Birmingham.gov.uk: Canal Walks – Broad Street Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ BBC Birmingham: Walk Through Time – Page 7
- ^ History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire, Samuel Bagshaw, 1851, S. Harrison of Sheffield
- ^ Steam Index: British Locomotive Manufacturers
- ^ "Bridging the generation gap to the heyday of Tipton's Horseley Ironworks". Black Country Bugle – 05 February 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Tidal correspondents of the nineteenth-century harmonic method, 1862–1906 Archived 2007-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 072772830X)
- ^ Museum of Making: Richard Roberts Archived 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine