Bloomfield Ironworks
Businesses which were located at the Bloomfield Ironworks included:
- W. Barrows and Sons (1830-1834)
- Bradley, Welch and Hall ( -1834)
- Bradley, Barrows and Hall (1834-1844)
- Bramah, Barrows, and Hall (1844-1846)
- Barrows and Hall (1846- )
- W. Barrows and Sons (c1862-1868+)
- William Barrows and Sons (1896)
- Bailey, Barrows and Hall (1932- )
In the 1830's the Tipton "Iron Master" Joseph Hall, pioneered a new process of making iron at the Bloomfield ironworks. This became known as 'pig boiling' or 'wet puddling'.
1830 November 25th. Joseph Hall and Thomas Lewis bought an old existing iron works from Messrs Aston and Others at Bloomfield, Tipton.
1831 April 16th. Hall bought out the share of Thomas Lewis
1831 April 19th. Hall sold a third share in the company to Richard Bradley and on the same day another third share to Frederick Isaac Welch as Bradley, Welch and Hall with logo of B.W.H. above a unicorn's head [1].
1832 November 22nd. Obtained a mortgage from Thomas Welch, a relative of Frederick's.
1834 June 29th. Frederick Isaac Welch sold his share to William Barrows to make the firm of Bradley, Barrows and Hall. They are in business as Ironmasters of Bloomfield Iron Works, Tipton [2]. The partnership was later celebrated for its superior brand of iron known as BBH.
1844 John Joseph Bramah joined the partnership when Bradley retired; it became Bramah, Barrows, and Hall
1847 Became Barrows and Hall on Bramah's death
1848 Boiler explosion at Bloomfield ironworks. Two men were killed - Mr. Millington and William Perry, and several injured. The boiler, weighing 7 - 8 tons, had been blown across the canal a distance of upwards of 70 yards. 'Had it occurred ten minutes earlier, or had the boiler been projected into the works, as fortunately it was not, hundreds of lives would undoubtedly have been sacrificed. Not many minutes before, in consequence of the iron not being sufficiently hot, about 20 persons employed at a rolling mill immediately behind the boiler, threw the rolls out of work, and went off to amuse themselves. If they had been engaged at their usual occupations, not one of them, in all proabability, would have survived. At each side of the spot between two and three hundred persons were employed, and yet, with the exceptions we have alluded to, none of them were injured.[3]
In 1932 the business was re-named as Bailey, Barrows and Hall
Business Names
- W. Barrows and Sons (1830-1834)
- Bradley, Welch and Hall ( -1834)
- Bradley, Barrows and Hall (1834-1844)
- Bramah, Barrows, and Hall (1844-1846)
- Barrows and Hall (1846- )
- W. Barrows and Sons (c1862-1868+)
- William Barrows and Sons (1896)
- Bailey, Barrows and Hall (1932- )
Also connected
- Thomas Welch (1849)
- Welch, Barrows and Co (1850)
- Welch and Barrows (1851)
The Banbury Connection
- Kirby and Barrows (1861-1863)
- Barrows and Carmichael (1863-1868)
- Barrows and Stewart (1868-1888)
- Barrows and Co (1888- )