Butterley Ironworks Trust

Butterley Company had a thriving social scene over the years. Amongst the activities were a Fruit,Flower and Vegetable show was organised by Butterley Co. in 1952 which was held in the works canteen and had 228 entries! Mrs. Newman,wife of the manager of the civil engineering section judged the womens and childrens entries and Mr. North judged the entries from the men(Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press - Friday 29 August 1952.)
During WWII there was a fu...nd raising Variety Concert with proceeds going towards Toc H Room for HM Forces by the Butterley Concert Party at the Cooperative Hall( Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press - Friday 24 April 1942). Two years later, the Butterley Pantomime Company put on 5 performances of Cinderella for the public in the Butterley works canteen, 3 shows for the forces, 2 at Ripley Cooperative Hall, 1 at Somercotes and 1 at Ollerton raising over £300. This was divided between the Soldiers,Sailors and Air Force Association, British Red Cross and Prisoners of War Fund and the Shipwrecked Mariners Society.( Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press - Friday 12 May 1944)
There were many more activities at Butterley Co; which I will cover at a later date. The image shows the position of buildings on the Butterley Ironworks Yard by T J Castledine,2016(https://www.rdht.org.uk/b utterley-company/butterley-trust/…/).< br> See More

There is an interesting website belonging to Huddersfield Canal Society, which has a page 'A Canal of Contrasts' which notes the industrial and scenic landscapes along the canal. The site quotes regarding the canal: 'It also boasts the oldest navigable cast iron aqueduct in the country at Stalybridge, constructed by the renowned engineer, Benjamin Outram in 1801' http://www2.huddersfieldcanal.com/what/ There is also a link to Pennine Link which is usually sent to membe...rs of the Society.
https://youtu.be/ha9Xbf2lCd4
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The Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre looks like a good place to go to when we are able to visit places again. After the tunnel was restored, Prince Charles opened it again in 2001. and there are trips in glass topped barges, which look rather interesting, and the barges have strong lights so you can see the stones. Image-http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/h uddersfie…/standedge1.htm

The entrance portal to Standedge Canal Tunnel is a Grade II* listed building, number 1266901. The Tunnel took from 1798-1811 to build. The engineer of the Tunnel Portal was Benjamin Outram of Butterley Ironworks. The tunnel itself was engineered by Thomas Telford. The portal is made of semicircular ashlar arch forms entrance to a stone vaulted tunnel and has coursed rubble walling with a string course and ashlar coping. The tunnel is 3 miles 171 yards long, 3 yards wide and 17 feet high. The water level in the tunnel is 8 feet. (https://historicengland.org.uk/…/the-l ist/list-entry/1266901) Image-http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/h uddersfield/standedge.htm

The Youtube video on Neonpike showing Butterley Ironworks underground wharf, an unloading crane and two barge men 'legging it' through Butterley Tunnel(acknowledged on the site as 'painted by Simon Waller , from photos courtesy of FCC/Robin Witter').https://youtu.be/481NDPrDuL M

Photos taken November and December 2019. There are photos of the frontage onto Butterley Hill, the Blast Wall, the listed building next to the Gate house(post office) They show vegetation on the blast wall etc. An annual 'clean' to remove this vegetation would have helped.

Please feel free to protest the development on the historical Butterley Site, as many people as possible to try and save this site,
Here's our fantastic response, unfortunately the photos haven't copied from this word doc so will post seperately
Steve Freeborn...
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Engineered by William Chadwell Mylne this bridge built by Butterley Ironworks Company using cast iron was 60ft long across the River Cam. The bridge, known as the Garrett Hostel Bridge, was in existance from 1837 until 1960 when it was replaced(E. A. Labrum - 1994 - ‎Civil engineering heritage-Eastern and Central England). Image-Garrett Hostel Bridge,circa 1870-original 19th century album in the possession of Kimberly Blaker, New Boston Fine and Rare Books. https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:Ca mbridge_University,_…

Huddersfield Narrow Canal;Booths Bridge This is a Grade II (listing number 1234421) structure built between 1794-8. It was engineered by Benjamin Outram of Butterley. The bridge is composed of hammer dressed stone. Booths Bridge is a round arched bridge with a slightly pronounced string course at the base of it's parapets with large copings with rounded tops.
Here is a link to the restoration of Huddersfield Narrow Canal by the Huddersfield Canal Society( http://www2.hudde...rsfieldcanal.com/…/ HNC_Restoration_Summary…)
Image-From Booths Bridge by Paul Anderson 2007, https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:Hu ddersfield_Narrow_Ca… 2 minutes 42 seconds into this Youtube clip from Minimal List shows them go through Booths Lock under Booths Bridge. https://youtu.be/VgZ6VyP1cYc
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I know this isn't about Butterley Iron Works as such, but it is pertinent to the strange times we find ourselves in.
I was thinking, when the Coronavirus pandemic is eventually much reduced perhaps society will review how we value these people and their jobs.
The people who I have found vital in their work ( in no particular order of merit, and it's only my opinion!) and please join in and add to this list, are:
... Pharmacies and their staff Bin collectors Food retail staff Hardware store staff Petrol station staff Post office staff Post delivery staff Delivery staff Draughtsmen/Designers Engineers Scientists Factories producing medical PPE Farmers Police Nurses Doctors Biochemists Carers All hospital staff Cleaners
Please add below who you think have been helpful-

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The second bridge in New South Wales is the Kayuga bridge(also known as the White bridge), a road bridge, over the Hunter river in Musswellbrook,which was made in 1881. It is on the local government heritage register as number I102.
This bridge consists of 2 spans of 127ft each with a timber deck and distinctive rounded iron corners. The Heritage Register for NSW states that it 'contributed significantly to the social and commercial development of the Hunter Valley region of ...New South Wales and it is an excellent representative example of this type of bridge'. (https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/…/V iewHeritageItemDetail…)-Image 1.
Conservation and Upgrade of Historic Wrought Iron Bridges in NSW by Ian Berger.https://independent.academia.edu/I anBerger
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Butterley Company had a long reach, over the seas, to Australia. Two existing bridges show this.
Bawden bridge in New South Wales over the River Orara, had iron work within it stamped with Butterley rolling marks and dates from 1873,completed in 1874. The Bridge is one of six of the oldest lattice truss designs in NSW and the seventh oldest metal truss bridge in Australia. This bridge is listed on the NSW State agency heritage register number 4300640 as it is deemed to be of State significance.(https://www.environment.nsw .gov.au/…/ViewHeritageItemDetail…) Image 1 & 2 Bawden Bridge.

Findhorn railway viaduct - Listed on the Scottish Historic Environment records - Canmore ID 14953 The viaduct, built on a curve of about 35 chains(230 ft), has nine truss spans of 132 ft flanked at either end with abutments pierced by small masonry arches. It reaches a maximum height of 144 ft. The engineer was Murdoch Paterson, and Butterley Iron Company was the contractor for the girders. Construction was completed in 1897. ... Apparently, Sir John Fowler, consulting engineer, saved a mile in length when he persuaded the directors to take a more direct line for the railway over this viaduct. The stone used for the viaduct was from the quarries which had supplied granite for the Forth Bridge (Kemnay, Aberdeenshire) https://canmore.org.uk/site/14953/tomatin -railway-viaduct…. First image from Canmore site,second image Malc MacDonald 2005 https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:Tr ain_at_Tomatin_-_geo…
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Factoid:
The site was auctioned in October 2015 (£1.3 million approx.) and is now owned by a London based property company whose intentions are as yet unknown.

A crane manufactured by Butterley Engineering being prepared for road transport. Image-jschwa1(talk) https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:Cr ane_manufactured_by_…

Local folk will remember this sign on Butterley Company, sadly the building and sign are no longer there. Image Tina Cordon 2006.

The memorial in Ashbourne market place, erected in 1874 for Francis Wright, a wealthy local indusrialist and son of one of the founders of Butterley Ironworks. Picture by Nikki Mahadevan. 2007

The entrance to Butterley Ironworks in 2005, the Grade II listed gatehouse to the right of the picture. Image taken by Alan Murray-Rust, 2005, https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:En trance_to_the_Butter…