Crowleys Iron Works Winlaton Mill Ironworks founded in 1691 by Ambrose Crowley. The large majority of the complex was erected between the late 1690s and 1718, with limited later additions and alterations. It consisted of a forge, slitting mill, plating ( rolling ) mill, steel furnaces, nail and file- makers workshops, warehouses, offices and housing. The Crowley Company also operated a similar complex at Swalwell, together with extensive workshops at Winlaton village. The Crowley works employed up to 1,000 people and had their own laws and social security system. The complex was unique in Europe. It was the forerunner of the factory system and also formed the origin of the North Easts tradition of ironworking and naval engineering. The site worked until the mid-late nineteenth century and was later overlaid by coal waste from the nearby Clockburn Drift and by the Derwenthaugh Cokeworks. Recent excavation ( 1992 ) has shown some survival beneath the coal waste and has exposed a considerable element of an eighteenth cerntury dam, with associated spillway and race. Winlaton Mill. The graphic includes its associated Mill Race and the High Dam on the River Derwent {1}. Perhaps the greatest influence on Winlaton Mill was Sir Ambrose Crowley, an iron master from London, who set up in Winlaton, and later Winlaton Mill, in 1691, bringing with him workers from Sunderland and a few from the continent. Crowleys works became famous, not just for the products, but also for his set of laws covering every aspect of the workers daily life, to ensure the smooth running of his works. These rules were very strict and included an evening curfew marked by the ringing of a bell. The workmen were allowed to drink ale, but drunkenness was not tolerated. Crowley established a system of sick pay, a health service, a school and widows pensions over 200 years before such things became available nationally. Crowley was originally attracted to Winlaton Mill partly because of the plentiful supply of coal, the charcoal from the woodlands (for converting iron ore into steel) and the water of the River Derwent for power. He later opened an additional works at swalwell, from where ironware was shipped to the rest of Britain, Europe and possibly the Americas. The Winalton Mill Works stood deserted for many years until it was finally demolished in 1936
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:27:48 +0000
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