Canning Foundry (Liverpool)

The 1890/1893 25" O.S. map here shows Canning Foundry close to Wapping Dock, covering an area of about 60 yds by 40 yds, bounded by Hurst Street, Cornhill and Tabley Street. Bland hotel and office buildings now occupy the site. Fortunately the Baltic Fleet pub and the Wapping Dock warehouses have been spared, allowing the area to retain a modicum of character.

The earlier location of Canning Foundry, c.1860, was Canning Place, which was near Salthouse Dock, about 1/4 mile north of the later Canning Foundry at Cornhill Street.

1850 Registered Design: Bathgate and Wilson, Canning Foundry, Liverpool, metallic cask or vessel.

1861 Advert: 'Highly important SALE of valuable MACHINERY and STOCK-IN-TRADE of the late of BATHGATE and WILSON, IRON and BRASS FOUNDERS, COPPERSMITHS, and IRONMONGERS, at CANNING FOUNDRY, Nos. 18 and 19, CANNING PLACE, and Nos. 13, 15, and 20, NEW BIRD STREET, LIVERPOOL.
MR. J. F. GRIFFITHS (the only authorized successor to the late Firm of Messrs. WINSTANLEY and SONS) has the honour to announce that he has been instructed to SELL by AUCTION, on MONDAY next, the 4th February, and twelve following days at eleven o'clock precisely each day, on the above named Premises, to clear the Partnership Accounts of the late Firm of Bathgate and Wilson,
The whole of the extensive STOCK-IN-TRADE, Steam-engines, Lathes, Screw-cutting, Drilling, and Edging Machines, Smiths' Hearths, Anvils, Smiths' Tools, Cupolas, Pig, Bar, Hoop Iron, Machine Gearing, Metal and Wood Patterns, Moulding Boxes, large Grindstone, Patent Fans, Tin-plate Workers' and Braziers' Tools, Work Benches, Vices, and every essential requirement used in the aforegoing branches it business, an 8-horse power Steam-engiue. 6-horse Ditto, with Boilers Gearing, and Fittings, Vertical, Drilling, Punching, Shearing, and Edging Machines, Two capital 12-inch Lathes, One Ditto. Oce 7-inch Ditto, and Ten Brass Finishers' Lathes, on Iron and Wood Beds, Double Screw-cutting Machine, with Dies, Tilt Hammer, Shield's Patent Fans, Brass Refiners' Crucibles, Steel Iron, assorted sizes, Bar and other Iron, Water Tank, to contain 1,150 Gallons. Traveling Crane, Winches. Wood Benches, together with Office and Warehouse Fixtures, Desks, Gas Fittings throughout the Premises, &c. The modern and well-assorted Stock of SHIP and GENERAL FURNISHING IRON MONGERY includes an extensive Variety of Ships' Cooking Ranges and Condensing Apparatus, of the most approved makes and of various dimensions, Ships' Guns, mounted and unmounted, Fowling-pieees and Pistols, Brass and other Binnacles. Deck Bells and Iron Stays, Lanterns and Cabin Lamps, Filters. Stoves, Brass Side Lights, Copper Stewpans and Stock-pots, Hand-pumps, Hollow Ware, Fire-engines, :spades, Capstans, Hooks and Thimbles, modern Sheffield Plated Goods, Copper and Brass Tubing and Wire, House and Snip Locks, Bolts, Latches, and Fittings, Screws, Nails, and Bobs, about Fifty Gross of Brown's Metallic Oil Casks and Kegs, in assorted sizes to Ten Gallons each, every description of Cabinetmakers', Joiners', Smiths', and Shipwrights' Tools, Iron, Brass, Copper, Tin. and Japanned Goods. Weighing Machines, Scales and Weights, and all the useful Miscellaneous Articles which are usually in Stock of an extensive and First-class Establishment. May be viewed ....'

1861 'TEST OF MANILLA ROPE. On Monday, at the Chain-testing Works, King's Dock, Capt. Gandy, of the ship Havelock, of this port, tested, for the information of his employers (Messrs Clowes, and Co.), several samples of Manilla rope. Messrs Rennie and Co., shipping machinery largely to India, require powerful tackles to discharge from the vessels, and, having got pair of huge iron purchase blocks made specially for the purpose by Messrs J. H. Wilson and Co., of the Canning Foundry.

1861 John H. Wilson and Co of Canning Foundry, 19 Canning Place, advertising ships' pumps, cooking and condensing ranges.

1872 'MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES OF LIVERPOOL -NO. VI. MESSRS. JOHN H. WILSON & CO.'S FOUNDRY AND ENGINEERING WORKS, CORNHILL AND BANKHALL ; Among the numerous establishment, for the prosecution of industrial manufacture with which Liverpool now abounds, probably no one holds a higher or more important place than those conducted under the able management of Messrs. John H. Wilson and Co. This is true, whether those works — for there are two of them, separate and distinct, although owned and managed by the same firm — are regarded with respect to their magnitude or the talent and almost infinite variety of the numerous and interesting products which are manufactured in them. It is somewhere about two centuries since Addison, in one of his fascinating papers in the Spectator, described, in his inimitable way, the establishment of hie friend "Dick Anvil," situated at Swalwell, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, where, according to the elegant essayist, "they could successfully manufacture everything in iron and steel from a needle to an anchor." Had Addison been favoured with an inspection of the works now under consideration, his astonishment would have been greatly increased by the wonderful mechanical achievements to be witnessed in these times of industry as compared with the manipulative feats which had aroused his admiration while surveying the great establishment on the south bank of the Tyne. Here, if we do not witness the actual manufacture of needles nor the forging of anchors, we have our faculties of observation exercised to the utmost by the immense variety of operations carried on, on is vast scale. resulting in the fabrication of implements of great utility and of singular beauty of form and adaptability. It is requisite to premise here that the two establishments are situated at is considerable distance—indeed, some miles—from each other, the head offices and Canning Foundry being carried on in an elegant and large edifice, built only a few years ago, at Cornhill, in close proximity to the Wapping Dock: the other, and larger works, occupying a large stance of ground near Sandon Dock. This latter is called the Bankhall Foundry, and, availing themselves of the scientific achievements of the day, the proprietors of the works have so arranged thet these two distant establishments are maintained in immediate communication with each other by means of a private electric telegraph. For the sake of convenience, it will be well to consider the two establishments separately, and with the same object to commence with that at Cornhill. This, as has been already stated, is ' carried on in an elegant and substantial building which occupies the entire space between Cornhill (late Mason-street) and Tabley-street, from both of which streets there are entrances to the works, by means of which the various materials required and the numerous articles manufactured on the premises can be got in or carried out. The chief entrance, however, is at the north-west, or Cornhill angle of of the building, access being obtained by a flight of two or three steps, which lead at once into the counting-house department. This is a spacious and well-lighted hall, fitted up more with a view to business convenience than with an eye to picturesque effect. Immediately beneath this is a storeroom 38 yards long by 10 yards wide. In this extensive store-room there are arranged in symmetrical order various descriptions of cooking-ranges of all sizes; steam hot-plate closet and earring tables; baking ovens; chips' cooking-ranges of every variety of capacity; steam condensers for canverting salt water into fresh water, of such different sizes as to range in productive capacity from the conversion of from 80 gallons to 1,000 gallons per day; portable flre engines; and steam donkey pumps. Here also are ranged in ample quantities nearly every description of ships' steering apparatus ; hand and steam winches, capstans, patent and common pumps, cast-iron and brass guns, with iron and wood carriages, vulcanized iron ventilators of all dimensions for ships' holds or public halls, turning lathes, and kettles, cooking utensils of every variety and size, and of all kinds of material. ..... The counting-house and store-rooms already described occupy what may be said to be the front or principal building; and from what has been already stated, it will be readily apparent that it is both a lofty and a large edifice. Behind, or to the eastward of the principal building, is a large quadrangular building, almost completely roofed over with glass. This is the workshop, or more properly speaking, the workshops of the establishment. It is about 30 yards long by 40 yards wide, and about 25 feet high to the spring of the roof. From the large proportion of glass in the roof the whole area of this large space is amply lighted, and the ventilation is in every respect most complete. On the south side of this area a gallery runs along from the one end to the other, affording a good means of observing the whole of the opera.. bons going on in the different departments into which the space is divided. Entering from the gallery referred to, entrances are obtained to the brass foundry and brass casting shops. These are two in number, their sizes being apportioned to the kinds of work for which they are intended. They are each furnished with cupola furnaces, and are capable of supplying large quantities of fused brass. Amongst the larger articles of brass work which are produced here may be enumerated bells of different sizes, some of which have been cast and trimmed, as well as tuned, on the premises, of the weight of about five cwt. Entering, also, from the gallery is a japanning shop, where the various articles made of tinplate are japanned and decorated ; and adjoining this is the export store room, which has an opening out into the street, where goods are at once lowered down into the carts or waggons by which they are to be carried away, Having given a glance at the gallery and its off-sets, let us proceed down to the lower portion of the workshop, which will well reward a careful scrutiny. A glance shows at once that the whole is arranged in strictly symmetrical order. Along the north aide of the shop, for about half its length, or rather more, there is a range of turning lathes, boring and drilling machines, suited for the purposes required in the fitting and finishing of fire engines, pump, donkey engines, and other heavy castings. chiefly of iron. To the eastward of this, and occupying the whole or nearly the whole of the east end of the space, is the smiths' shop, in which there are six forge fires, the heat in all of which is stimulated by fanners worked by a steam engine. There are of course also an equal number of anvils, with their customary appurtenances; and her. also is a steam hammer capable of striking with a force equal to a ton or down to the tenth part of a grain in weight. In this smithy there are frequently made forgings of great magnitude, and as very skilful manipulation. The central portion of the space extending westward from the smiths shop to about the same distance an that occupied hy the range of lathes already referred to, is devoted to the fitting and finishing - of brass work of all kinds. This, as may be readily supposed, is an extensive and important branch of the establishment, the work pergenerally of a superior order. Beneath the brass foundry casting shops is the tinsmiths' shop, in which every variety of tinplate is carried on. ..... The Bankhall Foundry and Engine Works, as has been already stated, are situated at the north end of the town, near the Sandon Dock; to come more exactly to particulars, however, it may be stated that the works occupy about four acres of ground, at the corner of Bankhall-lane and Sandhills-lane, the railway running through the works. It may not be out of place here to mention that, feeling themselves cramped a little, Messrs. Wilson and Co. have acquired a piece ofland about 4,000 square yards in extent at the opposite corner of Bankhall-lane and Sandhills-lane, on which they are about to erect additional premises.....'

Edward William West was involved in the foundry in 1881.

1889 Advert: 'FOR SALE, Second-hand STEAM WINCH , condition nearly equal to new.— Henry Wilson and Co., Limited, Canning Foundry, Cornhill Liverpool.'

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