Seaton Iron Works

Seaton Iron Works was an iron works which operated between 1762 and 1857 in Seaton, Cumberland. As well as making iron it also manufactured iron goods, and before 1800 was a manufacturer of steam engines.

History

The Seaton Iron Works were set up in 1862 by the firm of Hicks Spedding & Co., on land leased from Sir James Lowther for ninety-nine years. The expansive premises were planned and built under the direction of Thomas Spedding, a noted local engineer and built in 1863. The works were known as the "Beer-pot Works", a corruption of the name of the ground where the establishment lay, "Barepot". From a two blast furnaces, bar and wrought iron was produced, and in an adjoining foundry were manufactured ships' cannon, steam engines and other ironware.

The iron works was purchased in 1837 by Tulk Ley & Co., and the blast furnaces were consequently rebuilt. However, it was last operated in 1857 and the premises were eventually pulled down, leaving very little trace of a concern which had once employed hundreds of people.

Remaining products

Two Heslop engines built before 1800, copied James Watt's ideas on steam engines, are today in the collection of the Science Museum.

Reference list

*cite book |title=Jollie's Cumberland Guide & Directory |year=1811 |publisher=F. Jollie and Sons |location=Carlisle
*cite book |title=Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archeological Society |volume=V |last=Ferguson (Ed.) |first=Richard S. |year=1881 |publisher=T. Wilson |location=Kendal