Tredwell and Co

NB This is probably Treadwell and Co, the Treadwells being railway contractors.

'The Great Eastern will be launched down two inclined planes, each about 250 ft long by 80 ft wide and nearly 140 ft apart, falling at an inclination of 1in 14. The contractor Messrs Tredwell of London and Gloucester have undertaken the excavation, piling and other works necessary for the foundations of the launching ways.'

'The groundwork for the launch ways required large quantities of timber and concrete, executed under a separate contract, it is at this point that the next Gloucester connection emerges. Messrs Tredwell were railway contractors whose main yard and workshops were situated on the east bank of the Gloucester and Sharpness canal, just south of the docks. They had completed several contracts under Brunel’s direction, including one on the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway and must therefore have earned his trust and confidence - no easy matter! Although not local men, the partnership comprised four brothers Thomas, William, John and Solomon and they no doubt provided valuable local employment. Tredwells were awarded the contract in early 1857 and with a planned launch date in August 1857 the timescales were very tight. To begin with 960, 12 inch square piles had to be driven into the soft Thames foreshore to form a firm foundation for the two concrete and timber launch ways. This task was accomplished with the aid of two pile drivers supplied by another Gloucester-based contractor William Eassie whose establishment happened to be near to Tredwells’ premises. No doubt this fortuitous location was a factor in his selection but it is reasonable to assume that his machines were the best available; a driving rate of twenty piles per day was claimed and they were subsequently patented.'

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