Report - Stothert and Pitt, Newark Works, Bath - January 2010

Oxygen Thief · Jan 4, 2010

Explored with Rigsby.

...in the late 18th century George Stothert first had an ironmongery business but in 1815 he started his own foundry and became a supplier to the construction industry, iron railings being an early major product. Other items supplied to the civil engineering contractors included iron footbridges for the Kennet and Avon canal, machinery for the Box Tunnel and early cement mixers. By the late 1830’s he was building steam engines and in 1844 Robert Pitt joined the firm and Stothert and Pitt, Engineers and Founders started the Newark Foundry.

At the 1851 exhibition in Hyde Park they displayed a crane which was the first of a great variety for which they became famous. In 1857 they established a new Newark Foundry in Lower Bristol Road and they became renowned for their dock cranes and other machinery.
In 1890 they built their Victoria Works, also in Lower Bristol Road. In 1892 they supplied their first electric cranes for Southampton Docks and in 1914 they developed Titan cranes followed by Hercules and Goliath. In 1912 they invented the Topliss system for loading and unloading ships, this kept the load at a constant level, thereby saving time. During the 1920’s, in addition to cranes they were supplying pumps of all types world-wide.
During world war 2 they built some midget submarines. They continued to prosper but in the 1980’s the company was bought by Maxwells Hollis Group and in 1989 manufacture ceased.

Long yet concise.

Anyway, we've always wondered about this place but never got around to it. James Dyson wants to build his academy here, but he wants to knock this place down to do it, which given the history is an absolute disgrace, moreso for a man of supposed engineering pedigree.

So to start with, here's some externals, starting with the frontage onto the main road...

and around the back...

In this one, you can see railways track and small turntables...

In 2007 some of the buildings were squatted by the Letinov Steam Circus as a protest to Dysons plans. This is one of the buildings...

I won't pretend we got in there, that's taken through a convenient hole.

So what about exploring one of the long buildings. This one to be precise...