Reference
BG
Title
Bagshawe & Co. Ltd.
Engineers & Ironfounders
Dunstable Works, Church Street, Dunstable
Date free text
1891 - 1972
Production date
From: 1891 To: 1972
Admin/biog history
Arthur Bagshawe (1859 -1926); founder of Bagshawe & Co. Ltd., was the Sheffield - born son of a Derbyshire family which had early connections with Bedfordshire. While still a young man he went to Paris as manager of the office of an American
machine tool firm. Later he founded his own business in Paris importing patent detachable chains manufactured in the United States. His elder brother William joined him in this venture and they had offices in the Rue Lafayette where they traded as Maison Bagshawe from the early 1880's. Partnership continued to 1897 when, in addition to the Paris office, another was opened at 4a Upper Thames Street, London, E.C. Here the brothers traded as Bagshawe Bros. & Co. William carried on in Paris as Bagshawe Aine, later changed to the Cie des Chaines Simplex. Arthur moved his offices and warehouse to 2 and 3 Tower Royal, Cannon Street, London, E.C.2. about 1892. As well as importing detachable chains from America, steam packings were also imported as well as carborundum grinding wheels and wood pulleys (trading under the name Titan Packing Co., Cyclone Grinding Wheel Co., and Vortex Pulley and Belting Co. Another interesting, though financially unsuccessful, venture was the importing (1897 ) of American made safety bicycles. At the turn of the century coal and grain mechanical handling appliances called elevators, using mechanical detachable chains, were just beginning to appear. Arthur Bagshawe could see the possibilities of there use to speed up production in factories. Finding that the Americans were slow in their deliveries and realising, too, that tariffs might do harm to a business based on imported chains, Authur Bagshawe decided to build a works in England and to manufacture chains, and eventually elevators and conveyors, on the spot. The country was searched to find a suitable site and eventually the Dunstable Works were founded in 1906 on a site of 17 acres in Church Street, part of Kingsbury Farm, and adjacent to the Great Northern Railway's Church Street Station and with good road communications. A Limited company was formed in 1906 and offices were opened in three houses in Station Road. The London offices were retained until 1912. The first Directors' meeting was a held at
Dunstable Works in January 1913. The first buildings consisted only of an ironfoundry with its various departments and large warehouse. Eventually, as business expanded, the buildings grew to nearly 14 times their original size. The first works wages book records the number of men and boys employed each week rising from 12 in August 1907 to 66 in 1911. They worked a 54 hour week and their wages ranged from 4d an hour to £ 3. 0. 0d. a week for the foreman. Some of the men originally came from Derbyshire, bringing their foundry skills with them. There were pattern makers, moulders, core
makers, cupola and annealing oven hands, fettlers, and chain assemblers. Two warehousemen moved down from London.
In 1913 the Vienna Pavillion originally built for the White City Exhibition at Hammersmith and then moved to the Festival of Empire Exhibition at Crystal Palace, where it served as the Fauna Pavillion, was purchased for use as offices and for many years was an architectural feature of the entrance to Dunstable from Luton Road. (See BG 8/3 and BG 9/4 ).
During the 1914 -18 War productin was switched to war purposes. Cases for mortar bombs were cast in the foundry and Bagshawe's malleable iron chain was used for the tracks of the original tanks which appeared on the Western Front in the
autumn of 1916.
By 1919 part of the new foundry had been built and the old foundry turned into a machine shop. Various other departments had also been added but even at this time the firm was still mainly engaged in the manufacture of malleable iron chain
and other parts for elevators and conveyors. In about 1922 it was decided to begin manufacture of conveyor installations on a large scale and before long Bagshawe's had become known as the foremost conveyor company in Britain.
In 1925 the Bagshawes formed a French company called Les Chaines Union with offiices in Paris. Arthur Bagshawe died in 1926. His eldest, son Arthur William Gerald, was appointed Managing Director. His younger son, Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe had been elected a Director in 1925. During the 1939-45 War special conveyors were made for the
Royal Ordnance Factories. Chains still had to be made for the industry, but the foundry was extended considerably for the manufacture of tracks for Bren Gun Carriers. The factory also produced pontoons for the Mulberry Harbour which was towed across the English Channel on D-Day (6 June 1944) to be formed into a artificial harbour at Aromaches-Les-Bains on the Normandy coast.
T.W. Bagshawe resigned his directorship in 1947. In 1953 Thomas Tilling Limited of Crewe House, Curzon Street, W.1.
purchased the controlling interest in Bagshawe's from A.W.G. Bagshawe and Bagshawe's became a subsidiary company of Tilling's.
In 1954. A.W.G. Bagshawe resigned as Managing Director. He died in 1964. T.W. Bagshawe and his family sold their holdings in 1956 and 1966.
An erecting shop was built in 1950 and in 1962 a new office block was constructed which was difficult to blend in with the
half-timbered Vienna Pavillion.
In 1969 the Malleable Iron Foundry was closed and castings were bought out from other Iron founders. The Grey Iron Foundry continued until 1972 when the company's works were closed down and the site sold to property developers. At one time (in 1969) there were 771 employees. At the closure the number had been reduced to 300. An office was opened in Quadrant House, Church Street, Dunstable, to clear up outstanding business affairs and to help find posts for employees made redundant by the closure.
Bagshawes had their own Canteen and Social and Sports Club, (cricket, football, bowls, tennis and rifle range). During
World War II the firm had its own unit of the Home Guard. There were Christmas parties for pensioners and employees' children.
The histories of the Bagshawe family properties in Dunstable
have been described by Thomas.W. Bagshawe in Bedfordshire Magazine x (1965/6), 91; x (1966), 133, 200, 221; xi (1967), 9; xi (1968),167, 212, 237; xi (1969), 353.
Archival history
The document, catologues and photographs have been deposited by the generosity of Thomas Tilling Ltd
who gave Nicholas T. Bagshawe permission to select material suitable for preservation. Thomas W. Bagshawe (son of the
founder), Nicholas T. Bagshawe and Richard W. Bagshawe (grandsons of the founder) and former employees Messrs E.C. Hawes, T. Moseley, S. Ratcliffe and W. Twaddle (who assisted in the arrangement) have also contributed. Mr Thomas Bagshawe has prepared the catologue.
Reference
Level of description
fonds