Monument record 7206/35 - Irthlingborough Works

Irthlingborough Iron Works
Shown on early maps the area has now been built over with modern structures. (1)
{2} Situated on the east side of the River Ise, about 1/2 mile from where it runs into the River Nene, the works were at one time in Irthlingborough parish, hence the name. A subsequent parish boundary change brough the works into Wellingborough.
(The firm of Thomas Butlin & Co established their East End Works in 1852 at a site adjacent to what is now Cannon Street. As the nearby iron ore deposits were worked out, the situation of the East End Works was a great disadvantage since there were no connections to the main line railway. To remedy this failing, Butlin & Co erected the Irthlingborough Ironworks alongside the Midland Railway about 1/2 mile south of Wellingborough Station.

1867 Butlin & Co commenced smelting at Irthlingborough Ironworks
1889 T Butlin & Co Ltd
1904 New foundry opened for direct casting using iron straight from the blast furnaces. The foundry was operated jointly by T Butlin & Co Ltd and the Northamptonshire Direct Casting Co Ltd
Surviving examples of these direct castings are:-
a) Tunnel lining segments on some parts of the London Underground railway system
b) Iron kerbs on the south side of Castle Road, leading into Castle fields, Wellingborough (SP 897 677)
1920 Works acquired by the United Steel Company
1925 Blast furnaces shut down by United Steel Company who used works solely as a foundary
1928 Known as Thoams Butlin & Co's branch of United Steel Companies Ltd
At this time the products were listed as follows:-
Segments for tube railways and sewerage works, colliery tubing , well segments, columns of every description, column bases, crane beds, wheel centres and other heavy crane castings, flooring plates (box castings or open sand), electric track and tramway work, heavy and light engineering castings of every description up to 10 tons in weight.

1947 Foundry taken over by Morris Motors
Later known as Nuffield Foundry
Now trades under British Leyland UK Ltd, Beans Foundries

<1> Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Wellingborough (Industrial), (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN100290.

Record last edited

Jan 6 2004 11:15AM