Shallard Steel Works
of Keynsham
Located at the end of Steel Mills lane, to the south of Keynsham, next to the river Chew and opposite Albert Mill.
1716 Started by John Shallard and had one of the first cementation steel furnaces in Britain. It also incorporated a water powered hammer mill called South Mill, which was owned by the Bristol Brass Co. Shallard’s mainly used Swedish iron, supplied by Graffin Prankard in the 1720s and 1730s, and converted this to ‘blister steel’.
1732-35 John and William Shallard
1735-36 William Shallard
ca.1739 Death of John Shallard of Keynsham, Steelmaker.[1]
1736-49 Christopher Shallard. He was the son of William Shallard and baptised 26th June 1718. Married 1738 to Jane Atkins.
1754 Death of Christopher Stallard.[2]
1754-74 Works were managed by Jane Shallard (widow of Christopher?)
ca.1780 Will of Jane Shallard of Keynsham.[3]
1812 The steel works closed when it was leased to John Armstrong (who later went on to supervise the Thames Tunnel) and was sold in 1815.
Philip Jones occupied it in 1834, and later, Robert Ruddle.
2020 Most of the original buildings, apart from the furnaces, still survive and have been converted to residential properties.