Canal Iron Works
of Millwall, Poplar
The building of the City Canal left a large area of surplus land between the west entrance lock and the marsh wall on the Isle of Dogs. The City was quick to exploit this valuable though as yet unembanked property by putting it up for rent.
1807 Jukes Coulson and Paul Malin, iron manufacturers of Upper Thames Street, took a plot of land left surplus by the building of the canal. See Jukes Coulson and Co.
By 1809 Coulson and Co had built an iron foundry, reputedly London's largest, called the Canal Iron Works.
1824 John Seaward took over the Canal Iron Works, Millwall to build marine engines, and was joined soon after by his brother, Samuel Seaward.
1834–5 Seaward and Capel built a shed along the north side of the wharf for covered sawpits and a warehouse for castings. This building later became an erecting-shop. The wharf to the south was let as a stone wharf until 1838, when Seaward and Capel incorporated it into the Canal Iron Works, building a smithy along its south side. The main works buildings were extended southwards, remaining in use as a foundry and mill with associated shops, and served by sheer-legs and cranes of up to 20 tons capacity on the wharf.
1849 'Brunet's refrigerating brasses' designed by J. J. Brunet of the Canal Iron Works, Limehouse. These bearings incorporated internal cavities through which water could be passed for cooling purposes.[1]
1860 After the death of John Seaward the Upper and Lower Canal Iron Works and the equipment were advertised for sale[2]
1860 Sale Notice: 'TO BOILERMAKERS, ENGINEERS, CONTRACTORS. AND OTHERS. Messrs. FULLER & HORSEY Are instructed by the Executor* of the late John Seaward, Esq., TO SELL BY AUCTION, On MONDAY, June 4, at 11 o’clock, on the Premises,
THE Valuable LEASEHOLD PREMISES, known The Lower Canal Iron Works, Millwall, occupying a site of about 65,000 square feet, and arranged as boilermaking works, or for the construction of any large wrought-iron work. They have a wharf frontage next the Thames of 210 feet. The buildings include very lofty boilermaker’s shop, smith's and coppersmith’s shops, vice shop, plate iron and other stores, stabling, etc.......
'......TO ENGINEERS, IRON SHIPBUILDERS AND OTHERS. SEAWARD'S CANAL IRON WORKS, LONDON. Messrs. FULLER & HORSEY Are instructed TO SELL BY AUCTION, In Lots, on MONDAY, June 4, and following days, at Eleven each day,
THE whole of the valuable PLANT, MACHINERY, and TOOLS of the extensive Engineering Establishment of the late John Seaward, Esq., known as the Upper and Lower Canal Iron Works, Millwall, Poplar ; Including two 12-horse power condensing beam steam engines and boilers, &c. ; one 20-horse power steam engine, 1000 feet wrought iron shafting, 500 turned riggers and pullies, 3000 feet of leather bands, numerous self-acting lathes, for surfacing, turning, and boring, made by eminent makers, and adapted for very large work; a 22-inch centre self-acting engine-turning lathe, with 37 feet bed ; 30-inch centre lathe; one 29-inch centre do.; a very powerful turning, facing, and boring lathe, with 39-ineh centre, 28-feet bed ; 21-inch centre lathe; five screw-cutting lathes, by Whitworth, from 9 to 13 inch centres; 16-inch centre screwcutting lathe, 18 feet 6 bed. by Fox; one 13-inch centre lathe, two 16-inch centre do., one 12-inch centre lathe by Collier, two 8-inch centre do., one 17-inch centre self-acting lathe, one 10-inch centre do., four 9-inch centre do., four 6-inch centre do., three 8-inch centre back geared lathes, two 9 1/2-inch centre bar lathes, three 11-inch centre do , two self-acting planing machines; two horizontal drilling and boring machines, three rose-cutting machines, eight vertical drilling machines, two shaping machines, two slotting machines by Whitworth, large nut-shaping machine ; a very powerful boring machine, capable of boring cylinders the largest dimensions; a large nut-facing machine ; nearly new powerful slotting machine, 5 feet stroke; portable horizontal drilling machine; planing machine, by Collier ; a very large planing machine, by Sharp and Roberts, with bed 24 feet long, 8 feet wide; five planing machines by Whitworth, three boring and drilling machines by Whitworth, a do., by Hetherington & Co., two large rose cutting machines, five screwing machines, by Whitworth and Nasmyth and a very powerful face chuck lathe, a very powerful planing and grooving machine, two vertical boring bar machines, two large lathe face plates 14 feet 2 diameter, horizontal boring machine, key grooving slotting machine, two strong face chuck lathes, vertical boring apparatus, the fittings of boiler makers’ and smiths’ shops, eight very powerful punching and shearing machines, screw punching press for washers, a very powerful bar and bolt cutting machine, Garforth's steam rivetting machine with boiler and fittings, two sets of powerful bending rolls, radial drilling machine, five powerful winches, six vertical and other drilling machines, pipe bending machine, 30 smiths' forges, 10 tons smiths’ tools, anvils, swages, top and bottom tools, Nasmyth’s steam hammer, vices and benches, several tons steel tools, a costly set of hobs, up to 8 inches, Whitworth’s thread, several sets of working taps, with stocks and dies complete, ratchet braces, surface plates, set Whitworth’s gauges, many valuable boring bars of large dimensions, with cutters, steel drills, rimers, and countersinks, the fittings of foundries, set of triangles with cap and ball, three-ton wharf crane, erection of two plate furnaces, coke furnaces and case-hardening furnace. 13 10-ton cranes, one 8-ton do., one 6-ton do., one 4-ton do., and two 2-ton do., set of melting furnaces with four cupolas, 12, 20. and 24 tons each, air furnace capable of melting 14 tons, erections of drying stoves with turn-tables and trams, loam mill with iron runners. 150 tons iron flasks, crane shank and hand ladles, foundry tools, moulding bins, metal boxes, powerful blocks and falls, crabs, lifting jacks. machines, scales and weights, four steelyards to up 25 tons, very powerful set of shear legs with gearing equal to a lift of 100 tons, two large cast-iron tanks, very powerful fly press, 20-ton wharf crane, two fan blowing machines, circular saw. fittings of pattern makers' shop, benches, &c., smiths’ hearths and bellows, shafting, riggers, &c., valuable collection of brass models, large assortment of wood patterns, stores of iron, steel, and metal, office furniture, and numerous other effects. To be viewed three days prior to the sale. Catalogues at 1s. each, may be had ten days prior to the sale, of Messrs, FULLER & HORSEY, 17, Billiter-street, London. E.C.[3]
1860 Canal Works were taken over by William Jackson and Richard Watkins; the partnership later became Richard Watkins and Edward Rutter.
1861 Henry Temple Humphreys joined the works as Chief Draughtsman
1882 Marine engines continued to be made at the works until 1882, when the site was sold to J. T. Morton (see C. and E. Morton), the preserved-provisions manufacturer, for redevelopment as part of his Sufferance Wharf.
See Also
Sources of Information
- From: 'Northern Millwall: Limehouse Entrance to Sufferance Wharf', Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44: Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs (1994), pp. 409-411. URL: [1].