John Spencer and Sons
of Newburn Steel Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne. (1908)
1810 The business was founded by John Spencer, who made files using water power in a mill previously used for corn. Spencer & Sons, otherwise known as Spencer's steelworks, operated for 119 years and supplied all the original requirements of Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns for the construction of the early rail locomotives and later supplied many of the shipyards. The steel used was made from cemented Swedish bars.
1847 The original manufacturer of volute springs for railway use under Baillie's patent.
1851 Award at the 1851 Great Exhibition. See details at 1851 Great Exhibition: Reports of the Juries: Class V.
1867 Founder John Spencer died. Business taken over by his three sons: John Spencer, Michael Spencer and Thomas Spencer.[1]
by 1877 the firm operated the Siemens pig and ore process, the Siemens-Martin scrap process, the cementation process, and the crucible process of melting cast steel.[2]
1880 The Carlisle Show: Leeds Forge Co - Cornish boiler fitted with Samson Fox's corrugated flue tube - 'This flue, we may mention, is made of steel specially manufactured for the purpose by Messrs. J. Spencer and Co., of Newburn, near Newcastle, and rolled by the Leeds Forge Company. Although called steel it is really a very high-class iron, the percentage of carbon being smaller than in the best Yorkshire iron, while the tensile strength is about 23 tons per square inch and the elongation no less than 33 per cent. in a length of 10 in. This is evidently a splendid material for corrugating, and it can be welded without difficulty.'[3]
1888 The company was registered on 30 April, to acquire the business of iron and steel manufacturers and engineers of the firm of the same name. [4]
c.1904 Made steel plates for the RMS Mauretania
1909 The local electricity company installed a 750kW Parsons turbine to extract power from the steam exhausted by the rolling mill's engines[5]
1912 (Advert)London Office Victoria Mansions, 32 Victoria Street, London S.W.
1913 Public shares issue[6]
1914 Steel manufacturers. Specialities: steel castings up to 40 tons, steel ship and boiler plates, the latter up to 13 ft wide, steel forgings by 1,000 and 2,000 ton hydraulic presses; springs, tool steel and files. Employees 1,800. [7]
In the decline of the 1900s, Spencer's steelworks faced a battle for survival and were eventually forced into voluntary liquidation in 1924 with the loss of 2,000 jobs. The rolling mills were dismantled and sold to a Sheffield firm but the manufacture of forgings, castings, railway wagon springs, etc continued at Newburn.
1927 'The Dismantling of a Famous Rolling Mill.—
Further evidence of the very grave situation in which the
iron and steel manufacturing industries find themselves
to-day is the reported sale of the rolling mills and steel
works of Messrs. J. Spencer and Sons, Limited, to Messrs.
Thomas W. Ward, Limited, of Sheffield, by whom they
will be dismantled. Messrs. Spencer’s works are situated
at Newburn, on the north bank of the river Tyne, about
6 miles west of Newcastle, the freehold site comprising
43 acres with a river frontage of 1,100 yards and extensive
railway sidings. The works include a most modern
rolling mill plant for boiler and ship plates, spring steel
and bars, in addition to 12 Siemens-Martin acid process
steel-melting furnaces, of 40 tons capacity each.
The
firm, which was founded in 1810, has held a world-wide
reputation for plates of all kinds, and the resources of the
works have enabled plates to be rolled, tested by Lloyd’s,
and delivered into shipyards on the Tyne within 24 hours
of the receipt of the order. The Wylam Wagon AVay,
which is probably the oldest railway in England, and
which, for many years, ran Hedley’s "Puffing Billy,"
passes through the works. It is to be sincerely hoped that
the works will shortly be re-opened for some other
industry, for the dismantling of the present plant will
be a severe loss to the 10,000 inhabitants of the village
of Newburn.'[8]
1927 Mr R. S. Dalgleish, one time Sheriff of Newcastle, shipowner and head of Cowpen Dry Docks and Shipbuilding Co and others, acquired the forging department
1928 Firm (may have been) reconstituted as John Spencer and Sons (1928) Ltd
1929 Started again to make railway axle springs and other materials
1937 Manufacturers of laminated and coil springs, straight axles and light forgings. [9]
1937 Grant from the Nuffield Trust Fund to reconstruct and modernise the axle forging plant[10]
1960s Works closed
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Engineer 1905/05/05
- ↑ Visit of Iron and Steel Institute
- ↑ Engineering 1880/07/16
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ The Times, Mar 10, 1909
- ↑ The Times, Mar 11, 1913
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ Engineering 1927/08/26
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ The Times, Mar 02, 1937