The Early History of the Horseley Company, Tipton

By JS.Allen

Recently we have seen the fine coloured cover of the Black Country Calendar 2006 brought to light by the ever industrious Stan Hill with a montage of cast iron canal bridges all cast by the Horseley Iron Company of Tipton. The editor had used a similar illustration on the cover of the Blackcountryman for Summer 2005 (Vol.38/3). We have also noted that a parcel of land was sold from the Horseley Estate to build the new St. Martins Church, Tipton in 1795, Blackcountryman for Winter 2005. (Vol.39/1)

A typical Horseley iron canal bridge

Readers may be very aware of these early bridges but not be fully informed on the early history of this important early Black Country Company and its other work. The following notes are intended to provide some brief details. The earliest serious coal mining in the Tipton area took place near the Dudley border where Thomas Newcomen built his first successful atmospheric steam pumping engine at Coneygree in 1712. Blackcountryman for Autumn 2005. (Vol. 38/4)

As a result of this development and the construction of other similar engines it became possible to mine at greater depths and over wider areas. Mining slowly increased and moved nearer to the centre of Tipton. A group of local industrialists Edward Dixon, a banker of Dudley, Joseph Amphlett, another local banker but also involved with mining and William Bedford a solicitor of Birmingham formed a partnership to exploit this situation. There existed an ancient agricultural area in Tipton known as the Horseley Estate and this comprised 309 acres into which a short section of canal had been cut from the main line near Great Bridge with the intention this would be extended. Another short cut of canal had been made from the Dudley canal. This activity signified that industry was about to extend to this land and there are many who consider this Estate to be at the very heart of the Black Country.

These partners purchased this estate in 1792 for £10,000 and set about sinking mines in their new land and in cutting a canal with locks to extend the short length near Great Bridge, and in due course create what was known as the Toll End Branch of the canal. Various short sections were cut from this new line to access the Horseley mines and additional pumping engines were built, rapidly changing the ancient rural scene. At the centre of the estate was an ancient blade mill formerly a corn mill sitting at the edge of a large mill pool which was fed from a stream originating in the high Dudley ground. It is considered that this mill was at the site of the Tipton mill recorded in the Domesday records. The first Horseley mines were sunk near this mill site and plans show these details. As time and mining progressed the coal extraction was to cause land sinkage and damage to the locks and canal arms, all of which had to be repeatedly made good.

Throughout the Midland area there was increasing industrial development and the original partners continued to operate the mines but as new partners joined they decided to build iron furnaces. They were Richard Harrison, John Oliver, Richard Kitely (all of Stoney Stratford) and Joseph Smith of Coseley. These furnaces were located near the Mill Pool and were blown by a Boulton and Watt beam engine of 43 inch diameter cylinder 8 feet in length and this was set to work on 24 October 1809. From this time Horseley had the facilities to melt and cast iron.

The next development was the building of an engineering works alongside the canal and near to these furnaces. The machinery was usually driven by a waterwheel from the flow of water from the old mill pool but they installed a small steam engine to turn the machinery when the pool water was insufficient. Thus they became capable of undertaking the construction of all types of iron components and structures.

The Aaron Manby 1821

Aaron Manby who had experience in banking and mining joined the Company about 1813 and there is evidence from the report of a German engineer, JG. Bodmer, who visited the works in 1816 that it was in full production. Joshua Field, a prominent engineer visiting the area in 1821, wrote in his diary an extensive description of the furnaces, their blowing engine and the engineering works. The site with its two furnaces, casting house, various machinery and fitting shops and even a small gas plant to supply light appears to have altered little over many subsequent years.

The casting of bridges commenced in the early days and a swing bridge was built in the East India docks, London in 1818 and a bridge over the canal at Brentford, built in 1820, still remains. Although of different detail and appearance, a general form of construction developed for bridges spanning canals. This comprised four main side castings, two each side joined at the centre span by a form of locking plate and then bolted together. Cast iron plates were then fitted to these main castings by bolts or set screws forming an arch at the level of the bottom profile of the side castings and creating a smooth appearance. The upper surface of these plates was built up as necessary to form the deck of the bridge. Such bridges were cast for the Oxford and Coventry canals and many for the Birmingham Canal Navigation. Some years ago a bridge, no longer needed in service at Sowe Common, was moved from the Coventry canal to a site in the centre of Coventry. Since all these bridges were of cast iron which has an extremely slow corrosion rate most remain today as a great tribute to the craftsmen of the time and a reminder to us of their skills.

Galton Bridge, Smethwick

One of the larger bridges built in 1829 was the 150 foot span Galton bridge over the new Telford line of the canal at Smethwick. Although it is now restricted to foot traffic it was in full road use until about 1970. A delightful bridge was built over the river at Hampton Lucy, near Stratford on Avon also in 1829. This bridge was built at the charge of the Rector and has cast tracery in the main arch castings reminiscent of Church windows. Later with the coming of the railways the company built many bridges for this new means of travel, typically a six girder bridge at Nash Mills on the London and Birmingham Railway.

Although the building of bridges due to their longevity has resulted in this work being recognised as an important Company activity it was far from the only work. From about 1817 under the guidance of Aaron Manby the Company became engaged in the construction of steam engines for ships and the construction of iron boats. The first engine was for a vessel, the Prince of Coburg, which was 75 foot 6 inches in length. A significant number of engines of increasing size followed until in 1822 a major development occurred. This was the building of the first iron steam boat to be named the Aaron Manby. This was 106 feet 10 inches in length and 17 feet 2 inches in beam. The engine was of 32 horsepower with two oscillating cylinders of about 22 inches diameter and she was driven by two paddle wheels.

The vessel was first constructed in the Engineering Works yard at Tipton and then dismantled and sent in sections by canal to Rotherhithe Dock, London. Finally fully re-assembled, she sailed from there across the Channel to Rouen. Later she was on the River Loire and was only broken up in 1855. Aaron Manby had become much involved in France through the supply of a number of engines and in due course severed his connections with Horseley. The result was that the building of steam engines for ships at Tipton declined and many were constructed at Manby's works at Charenton, France. A number of Horseley workmen joined Manby and this loss of British skills caused questions in Parliament and a Government enquiry. Many local Midland names appear in the records at Charenton as the former Horseley work people became integrated with the local French.

The "Comet" Engine

Horseley then, like a number of other companies, turned to the new expansion in railways and in locomotive building. Their first venture was an order in 1832 for three locomotive engines for the St. Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway. The order was taken at a cheap price and they were not particularly successful in service, probably due to their lack of experience in this new field. It has to be remembered that at this time the famous Rocket locomotive was still in service on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

The Star locomotive

Horseley had the services of Matthew Loam, the son of a Cornish Engineer, but he left and was succeeded by Isaac Dodds a more successful engineer who built a much heavier fourth engine for the St. Helens line. An engine was built to be tried and offered to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. This was called 'Star' and was performing well on initial tests but sadly someone had left some timber on the line and the engine left the rails and was damaged. Following the necessary repairs she was set to work on a trial basis on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway but in March 1835 she was involved in a serious accident on the line.

This was reported as follows:

"Read Mr. Dixon's Report of the state of the Way, also his account of the accident to the engine of the two o'clock train from Liverpool on Saturday last. Owing to the switch (points) leading out of St. Helens junction line being left wrong placed the Horseley engine the STAR which was proceeding with the train to Manchester was jerked off the rails and ran across to the opposite side of the road when she came into collision with the Caledonia engine and Tender. Ralph Thompson the Company's Engine man was thrown off and killed on the spot, a working mechanic belonging to the Horseley Company was also thrown off and had his foot badly crushed by the Engine. The Company's fireman and Barnsley the Horseley Company's Engineer escaped without much injury. The engine having broken loose from the train, the coaches kept the way and after about 1/2 hours delay, were forwarded to Manchester by another engine. The Caledonia Engine was considerably damaged by the collision and her tender was literally broken to pieces. The Horseley engine was a good deal damaged, her frame being twisted and one of her cylinders and some of the steam pipes being broken".

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway declined to purchase the repaired locomotive and eventually it was sold to the Dublin and Kingstown Railway where it saw good service for a number of years. It was eventually rebuilt and modified giving it a further lease of life.

Swannington Incline Engine, 1833

A very successful contract was for a stationary winding engine for the Leicester and Swannington Railway supplied in 1833 to the design of Robert Stephenson. This was to haul wagons from a colliery up an incline and it worked through to 1948 when it was modified. In 1952 it was transferred to the York Railway Museum where it was fitted with an electric motor drive and it can now be seen daily in motion. There is some fine embossed decorative work on the castings of the engine.

The final Horseley work on locomotive engines involved repairs to two of Robert Stephenson's engines which had been supplied to the Leicester and Swannington Railway. It appears that their boilers had suffered from too little attention to the effects of water and scale during their service. Although work continued on many projects the general fluctuations in trade affected many aspects of trade and the Horseley Iron Works got into financial difficulty about 1846 and fell into the hands of the Stratford Bank. They were rescued by three local Ironmasters JJ. Bramah, Deeley and Cochrane who then attempted to sell 'those celebrated works known as the Horseley Ironworks, Tipton'.

It was announced that Messrs. Bramah and Company of the Woodside Ironworks had acquired the Company and that it would continue as a going concern and operate as 'The Horseley Iron Works'. Other attempts were made to sell the works and the advertisements detailed very fully every aspect of the plant and equipment. Eventually Messrs Broad and Tierney took a 25 year lease on the premises. At the end of this period in 1865 a decision was made to build a new works on another site nearby. The building of this new works and its operation until 1992, 200 years from the date of the initial purchase of the Horseley Estate is another and long story.

This short history is based upon sections of a book by JS. Allen - 'A History of Horseley, Tipton. Two centuries of Engineering Progress'. Only a few of these books remain and any Society Member interested in obtaining a copy should contact the Author at 01384-393661 who would supply at a very advantageous price.

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