Soho Foundry
Matthew Boulton and James Watt established the Soho Foundry in 1795 at Smethwick, West Midlands. They built the factory on land purchased that same year near the Birmingham Canal. The facility opened for business the following year to manufacture steam engines. Their sons Matthew Robinson Boulton and James Watt Jr joined them as partners shortly after. This partnership created a manufacturing hub that would outpace its contemporaries by decades.
A document from 1801 describes how four specific workers were constantly employed fitting nozzles. Production processes broke down into small tasks enabling high specialization among the workforce. These tasks occurred in workshops spatially located along the flow of production to minimize material movement expenses. Each of three main operating departments functioned as separate profit centers. The Foundry Department made cast iron parts while the Smithy Department crafted wrought iron components. The Fitting Department machined these parts and assembled them together. Executive development programmes and sickness benefit schemes appeared before the twentieth century.
James Watt Jr owned the factory by 1840 after the death of founding partner Matthew Boulton. He died in 1848 and H W Blake took his place. The name changed from Soho Foundry to James Watt & Co during this transition. In 1857 screw engines for the steamship SS Great Eastern were built at the foundry. A new mint started operations there in 1860. The Manufactory had closed in April 1850 under Matthew Piers Watt Boulton. Tests performed at the site in 1861 served the London Pneumatic Despatch Company. W & T Avery Ltd acquired the foundry as a going concern in 1895.
William Edward Hipkins served as manager of the company when disaster struck in 1912. He died at the sinking of the RMS Titanic while traveling as a first class passenger. Hipkins was 55 years old when he perished on that fateful voyage. His body was never recovered from the Atlantic Ocean. This event marked a somber chapter in the history of the business founded nearly two centuries earlier.
Avery Weigh-Tronix now owns the site and manufactures weighing machines there today. The facility includes William Murdoch's cottage which overlooks Black Patch Park. The building holds Grade II* listed status protecting its historical significance. A small museum once operated on the premises but is now closed to visitors. The oldest working steam engine built here remains operational and resides in Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. This Smethwick Engine was constructed to recover water used in nearby canal locks at Smethwick Summit.
Grade II listed Pooley gates bear cast iron markings featuring a Liver bird above ropework draped with cloth. Nautical symbols including oars flags bugles ships wheels and intersecting dolphins flank the central design. Henry Pooley and Son cast these gates about 1840 for the Sailors Home in Liverpool. An active campaign returned them to their original city after approval by Sandwell Council in March 2011. Restoration work concluded before the gates were re-erected under the name The Sailors Home Gateway on the 8th of August 2011. They now stand in the pedestrian section of Paradise Street in Liverpool One close to the original site of the Sailors Home.
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Common questions
Who established the Soho Foundry and when did it open?
Matthew Boulton and James Watt established the Soho Foundry in 1795 at Smethwick, West Midlands. The facility opened for business the following year to manufacture steam engines.
What were the three main operating departments of the Soho Foundry?
The Foundry Department made cast iron parts while the Smithy Department crafted wrought iron components. The Fitting Department machined these parts and assembled them together.
When did William Edward Hipkins die during his tenure as manager?
William Edward Hipkins died at the sinking of the RMS Titanic while traveling as a first class passenger on the 8th of May 1912. He was 55 years old when he perished on that fateful voyage.
Where are the Pooley gates currently located after their restoration campaign?
They now stand in the pedestrian section of Paradise Street in Liverpool One close to the original site of the Sailors Home. Restoration work concluded before the gates were re-erected under the name The Sailors Home Gateway on the 8th of August 2011.
Which company acquired the Soho Foundry in 1895 and what do they make there today?
W & T Avery Ltd acquired the foundry as a going concern in 1895. Avery Weigh-Tronix now owns the site and manufactures weighing machines there today.