Two Prolific Local Foundries

Local foundries and ironworks are largely gone now. They produced a wide range of items, generally marked with their name.
This page has examples of all manner of drain and manholes, builder plates and signs, gate and fence posts plus other castings with their inscriptions.

W A Baker & Co Ltd, Westgate Foundry, East Dock Road, Newport, Monmouthshire

'W A Baker & Co Ltd' were established in 1880 Business established and was re-constituted as 'W A Baker & Co 1910 Ltd' in 1910, They became part of the 'Whitehead Iron and Steel Co Ltd' in 1938. A new foundry was built during WW2 followed by a major expansion and refurbishment. In 1957 Bakers became part of the US firm, 'Black Clawson', and the works was demolished in 2006.

'W A Baker & Co Ld Newport Mon'	'W A Baker & Co 1910 Ltd No 3032 Newport Mon'	'Bakers Newport'
'Bakers Newport no 3349L'	'Bakers NCW Newport'	'Newport Sewers W A Baker & Co 1910 Ld'
'Bakers Newport'	'W A Baker & Co Ld Newport Sewers Newport Mon'	'NMGC W A Baker'

Broads Foundry, Pontymister, Monmouthshire

Pontymister ironworks were established in 1801, being connected to the canal and Sirhowy Tramroad by a branch tramroad across the River Ebbw. Unfortunately the works appear to have seriously unsuccessful, going from bankrupcy to bankrupcy. It became much more successful as a tinplate works from 1845 and the tramway became a railway in 1850 with the mainline. Another bankrupcy hit the works in 1896 after an acrimonious strike, a merger with the adjacent Pontymister foundry and more changes to ownership followed. The building of the Llanwern steelworks ended steel production in 1962.

Birds Commercial Motors demolished the works in 1962 then carried on using the site as a scrapyard, scrapping over 200 steam locomotives, until 1969 after which they used part of the area as a plant depot.

Broads of London were successful builders merchants based in Paddington Dock, with their foundry at Hanwell, West London. The West London site was valuable housing land and not the best place for an iron foundry, so they built a new foundry on part of Birds site in Pontymister, opening in 1970. Over 30 years later Broads Foundry closed in 2004. I don't know if there is any way of telling the two foundries work apart, some articles include 'London' in the casting, others of an identical pattern don't.

'Broads 16D Broads'	'Broad & Co Ltd London 42A'.	'Broads No 70B WVSB Sewers Patent no 932719'
'Broads 78B Broads'	'Broads 117 D2' drain cover	'Broads 129B Broads'
'Broads 182 Broads'	'Broads 7821 UK'	'Broads London'
'Broad & Co Ltd London'	'Broads PO Patent no 932719'	'Broads Telephone' and 'PO'

The 'Ner-Roc' range

'Broads London Ner Roc'

'Broad & Co Ltd London 38A Ner Roc'

'Broads London 38A Ner Roc'

The 'Silent Knight' range

'Broads 5011 Silent Knight'	'Broads 70B Silent Knight'	'Broads 70C Silent Knight'	'73E/D Broads Silent.Knight'
'Broads FOUL Silent Knight'	'Broads PO Silent Knight'	'Broads SW Silent Knight'	'Broads WVSB Silent Knight'

Builders plates

Many iron bridges, other structures and machinery carry their makers plate, some dated, some not.

E Finch & Co Ltd, Chepstow

E Finch & Co Ltd began life building the Chepstow railway bridge for I K Brunel in 1852. It developed into a varied engineering company, notably shipbuilding. The company was sold in 1916 eventually becoming the Fairfield Mabey engineering works. Their builders plates had the year changed as time moved on.

'E Finch & Co Limtd 1877'	'E Finch & Co Limtd 1887'	'E Finch & Co Limtd 1892'	'E Finch & Co Limtd 1899'
'E Finch & Co Limtd 1902'	'E Finch & Co Limtd 1906'	'E Finch & Co Limtd 1908'	'E Finch & Co Limtd 1910'

Other Builders Plates

'Joseph Adamson & Co Ltd'	'Braithwaithe & Co Engineers Ltd'	'Brown Marshalls & Co Builder'	'Griffin Foundry Co Makers Birmingham'
'Horsehay Co Ltd Shropshire 1914'	'The Horsehay Co Ld 1925'	Horsehay Co plate at Trehafod	Horsehay Co plate at Trehafod
'Isca Foundry Co Newport Mon'	'C Jordan Engineer 1870'	'C Jordan Engineer 1870'	'Lysaght Ld Engineers Bristol'
'J Mowle & Co Chester 1863'	'Ransomes & Rapier'	'Stothert & Pitt Engineers'	'James Watt & Co'

Manhole Covers

A to Z in the UK

'Adams Ltd York'	'Adams Patent York & London'	'G W Allen & Son Makers Stroud'	'Barry D C'
'BUDC Sewer'	'W T Burden Ltd Birmingham'	'Charlton Sheffield'	'J W Cunningham & Co 196 Blackfriars Road SE'
'EVUDC Storm Water'	'W E Farrer Ltd Birmingham'	'William E Farrer Ltd London & Birmingham'
'Glyn Eng Works Pontypool'	'GWR sewer'	'Ham Baker & Co Westminster'	'Ham Baker & Co Ltd Keymac WVS Westminster SW'
'Hayes Maesteg'	'Hayward Bros Union Street Borough'	'Hepworth Ductile 35 Kn'	'Herbert & Young Cinderford Glos'
'Herbert & Young CRDC Meter Coleford Glos'	'Howell & Son Aberayron'	'HW & Co PM'	'J C Hulse & Co Ltd Telford Salop'
'Lawrence & Co Taffs Well'	'G H Laud & Sons'	'Lewis & Co Merthyr'
'MUDC Brown Blackwood'	'MUDC Rock Pattern'		'NRDC Tondu Eng Works'
'Pontypool Foundry & Eng Co Ld'	'Pontypool Foundry & Eng Co Ld'	'RDC YTE? Co', Trehafod	'R T & B Stormwater', Ebbw Vale
'RUDC Sewer'	'Sandbrook & Dawe Ltd'	'T Spittle Ld Newport Mon'	'Stanton and Staveley 600 Circular'
'J Stone & Co Ltd Deptford'	'Titan Foundry Limited Cardiff'	'TF' from Treforest Foundry	'Tondu Eng Works Surface Water MAUDC'
Unidentified manhole with wooden blocks	'Victoria Foundry Ebbw Vale'	'Henry Ward Williams'	'Henry Ward Williams 1913'
'WVSB'	'WVSB'	'P T Woodruff Machen Foundry'

Around the World

Alishan Forest, Taiwan

Tainan decorative cover, Taiwan

Stop Cocks, Valves and Hydrants

Smaller items including Stop Cock covers, Valve covers and Fire Hydrants covers

'ADW Stop Tap'	'Bakers NCW Newport'	'Broads 7821 UK'	'CCWW ST'
'Guest Chrimes Rotherham'	'GWB Water Stop Tap'	'Ham Baker & Co Ltd Westminster'	'Ham Baker & Co Ltd Patent NCW Westminster'
'Herbert & Young NSMWB Meter Coleford Glos'	'Jones Gas Patent'	'MAUDC Gas'
'NDWB', North Devon Water Board	'Newport Foundry Co Rock Wharf Water Tap'	'NMGC W A Baker'	'NSMWB Water Stop Tap'
'J J Partrage Newport'	'SEBWB Water'	'Monitoring Well www.StuartWells.co.uk'	'STW Water', Severn Trent Water
'STWA Water', Severn Trent Water Authority	'T Spittle Ld NCW FH Newport Mon'	'TFWB Stop Tap'	'Thames Water'
''J Tylor Waste Not Valve Box'	'Water Brooklyns Ruthin'	'Water Works'	'Willey NDWB Meter London Exeter'

Drain Covers and Gratings

'Cinderford Teague & Chew Ltd'	'Dudley & Howell Ltd Bradley Heath Staffs'	'Edwin Hampton Abergaveny'
'Herbert & Young Cinderford Glos'	'Herbert & Young Cinderford Glos'
'M Morgan Abercarn', Type 1	'M Morgan Abercarn', Type 2

Railway, Canal and Road Signs

Railway Signs

ANDR boundary post	BMR lift notice	BTC gate notice	Cork and Bandon Railway sign
'Greenwood & Batley No 1445'	GS & WR notice board, Llanelly Hill	GWR bridge restriction plate	GWR bridge warning notice
GWR boundary post from 1886	GWR signal box notice	GWR milepost, Cefn Cribbwr	GWR marker post, Cefn Cribbwr
LMSR sign at Govilon	LMSR sign at Govilon
LNWR sign at Govilon	LNWR milepost at Llanfoist	LNWR boundary post	LYR sign at Abertwsswg

Canal Signs

B & A Canal milepost '35'

Monmouthshire Canal milepost '7'

Monmouthshire Canal milepost '5¾'

Road Signs

'Roads Act-1920' prohibited notice

Miscellania

Other Ironmongery, particularly with names and makers

'Alexandra Roller' at Cefn Ila	'Joseph J Armfield Ringwood'	'Brymbo 1861' at Bridgnorth	'Cables' at Trinant, Monmouthshire
'J & D Davies Rock Foundry'	'DLPR' Commemorative marker	'Isca Foundry Co Newport Mon'	'Jeffery Blackstone Stamford No 3'
'Jesse Bailey Abercarn' lamp post	'Jesse Bailey Abercarn' lamp post	'G Lewis & Son Kettering'	'Pillatt Stapleford Nottingham'
'R R & W Miles Leominster'	'TFWB' pipeline marker	'TFWB' pipeline marker	'V&PRDC W Lewis & Co Merthyr'
Gatepost at Gilwern Station	Gatepost at Cefn Ila	Cast-iron stove at Cefn Ila

Acknowledgments, sources and further reading.

Thanks for sharing their photos to :- Martyn Davies, John Gale, Diana Harris, Risca Museum, Robin Williams