Walker Alkali Works
of 37 Quay Street, Newcastle upon Tyne and works in Walker
1790 Archibald Dundonald joined the brothers John Losh and William Losh in experiments on the production of synthetic soda from salt at Woodside near Carlisle.
1791 William Losh visited Paris to learn what he could about Leblanc's new process for converting salt to soda.
c.1793 The results were sufficiently promising to justify setting up a works at Bells Close, west of Newcastle upon Tyne, where Dundonald had a tar distillery.
1797 The Losh family inherited a share in a coal mine at Walker in which a brine spring had been discovered which provided a private source of salt.
Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered that sodium chloride was decomposed by lead oxide, and previous to the introduction of Le Blanc's process, soda was manufactured in this way at Walker by Mr. Losh, the yellow lead compound which was formed being sold as Turner's Patent Yellow pigment. (dates not stated)[1]
The Walker works was the first in England to work the Leblanc process - the partners were Archibald Dundonald, Lord Dundas, brothers John and William Losh, and bankers John and Aubone Surtees but the original partnership was soon dissolved and the Losh brothers, trading as Walker Alkali Works, were able to develop a profitable chemical business without Dundonald.
1814 William's brother, John, left his estate to his daughter Sara, including the Walker Alkali Works [2]
1816 After the end of hostilities, Mr. Losh returned to Paris, where he learned the details of the process for decomposing sulphate of soda, which he immediately introduced to his works at Walker, and thus may be said to have been the father of the British alkali industry.
1827 Walker Alkali Works had the same address as Walker Ironworks[3]
1828 Directory entry - Walker Alkali Company, 37 Quayside, Newcastle. Works at Walker.[4]
1837 On December 23 William Losh, of Benton Hall, near Newcastle, received a patent for 'improvements in decomposing muriate of soda (common salt), part of which improvements are also applicable to the condensing vapours of other processes.'[5] The specification for Losh's patent has not been found, and no further mention made, so there must be some doubt as to whether he continued the protection.
1839 William Septimus Losh (son of William's brother James) wrote to the local Council describing a patent process he had adopted at Walker Alkali Works where the decomposing furnaces were worked by a jet of steam which drove the gas into closed cells where the muriatic acid was entirely collected.[6] The importance of this relates to preventing the emission to atmosphere of hydrogen chloride gas (muriatic acid), a waste product of the Leblanc process, which hitherto had been discharged to atmospher with catastophic effects on the local environment. The patentee is not named, but is likely to be Thomas Bell of the Don Alkali Works, South Shields, whose 1837 patent described its advantages as 'complete condensation of the whole of the muriatic acid gas, thereby effectually removing the nuisance and injury to vegetation occasioned by the usual plan of operating.' Both Bell and Losh claimed that the resulting hydrochloric acid had great commercial value.[7]
1845 on the death of his father, Isaac Lowthian Bell took over the direction of the Walker works
1850 Isaac Lowthian Bell retired from the Walker Works to persue other business interests.[8]
1856 Patent number 2570. To Thomas Ainsley Cook, of the Walker Alkali Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Manufacturing Chemist, for the invention of ‘improvements in treating manganese ores.’[9]
1858 '...the Copartnership carried on for some time past between the undersigned, Thomas Ainsley Cook, William Losh, John Anderson, and Henry Mayhew, as Alkali Manufacturers, at Walker, in the county of Northumberland, trading under the style or firm of the Walker Alkali Company, was this day dissolved by mutual consent, so far as regards the undersigned, Thomas Ainsley Cook. All debts due to and owing by the said copartnership concern will be received and settled by the said William Losh, John Anderson, and Henry Mayhew, the continuing partner...'[10] Thomas Ainsley Cook died 11 Jan 1863.[11]
1859 The advert appended shows the company offering bleaching powder, confirming that they were capturing hydrogen chloride and using chlorine to produce bleach.
1861 William Losh died 4 Aug 1861.
1862 "The entire plant and materials as now in the Low Walker Caustic Alkali Works, together with the lease thereof" was offered for sale at auction on 29 Jul 1862.[12] It is not certain that this is the same works, though no alkali works has been found in Low Walker, nor has the outcome of this sale been found.
<1862-1871 Robert Calvert Clapham was manager of the Walker Alkali Works.[13]
1866 Hyposulphite of soda (now better known as sodium thiosulphate) advertised for sale at the works.[14]
1869 Walker Alkali Works reported to be owned by Richard Cail, though he was probably in partnership.[15] 1871 census shows him as a chemical manufacturer employing 220 men.
1873 "In consequence of the death of two of the partners and the termination of the deed of partnership, all those old-established and current-going Chemical Works known as the Walker Alkali Works, situate on the banks of the River Tyne, within four miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, will be offered for sale early in the ensuing year." 1st December 1873.[16]
1874 The above sale was held on 27 Apr, for the works described as being on 20 acres of land under lease from Newcastle Corporation. No bids were made.[17] With the alkali trade very depressed and the works standing idle, the owning partners, Thomas Bell and Richard Cail, merged their alkali business with John Lomas and Company. The later was itself a recent merger of two alkali companies, the Wallsend chemical works of John Lomas and Company, and Kenmir’s chemical works at Jarrow, by then owned by Thomas Hood Henderson. They traded together as a private company under the name John Lomas and Company Limited (no 6489).
1874 Following the merger of the business, "...the Partnership heretofore subsisting between the undersigned, Thomas Bell and Richard Cail, under the firm of the Walker Alkali Company, carrying on business as Chemical Manufacturers, at Walker, in the county of Northumberland, and at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was dissolved, by mutual consent, as on and from the 28th day of July, 1874. All debts due and owing are to be received and paid by the undersigned, Thomas Bell..."[18]
1874 To refinance the business a new public limited company was registered in 1874, John Lomas and Company Limited (no 8671 superseding an earlier private company of the same name) to own and operate the three sites. Directors were John Lomas, Thomas Hood Henderson, Thomas Bell and William Frederick Henderson. Capital was £200,000 and a public share offering was made. The Wallsend plant was the most modern, having opened in 1871.[19]
Investment was made in the Walker plant, and it restarted in 1875[20], but with trade still depressed it was closed in about 1876.
1877 On 5 April, the Wallsend works was burned to the ground, and was not rebuilt.[21]
1878 With only the Jarrow works operating, notice of closure was given to employees in early November. The following week the directors suspended payment as a result of non payment a large debt owed to them by Messrs Knight and Son.[22] On 28 Nov a general meeting of shareholders was held under the chairmanship of Henry Scholefield. It was agreed :— 1. " That it has been proved to the satisfaction of this Meeting that the Company cannot, by reason of its liabilities, continue its business, and that it is advisable to wind up the same. 2. "That the said Company be wound up voluntarily."[23]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The History, Products, And Processes Of The Alkali Trade - Chapels Thomas Kingzett - 1877
- ↑ Biography of Sara Losh, ODNB [1]
- ↑ History, Directory & Gazetteer of Durham & Northumberland, 1827
- ↑ Pigot's Directory of North of England and Wales, 1828-29
- ↑ Newcastle Journal - 13 Oct 1838
- ↑ Newcastle Courant - 15 Mar 1839
- ↑ Newcastle Courant - 25 Aug 1837
- ↑ Newcastle Journal - 2 Mar 1850
- ↑ London Gazette - 14 Nov 1856
- ↑ [2] The London Gazette Publication date:9 July 1858 Issue:22160 Page:3230
- ↑ Nation Probate Calendar
- ↑ Newcastle Daily Chronicle - 19 Jul 1862
- ↑ Retirement - Newcastle Journal - 20 Dec 1871
- ↑ Farmer's Gazette and Journal of Practical Horticulture - Sat 28 Jul 1866
- ↑ Newcastle Daily Chronicle - 30 Jul 1869
- ↑ Newcastle Journal - 2 Dec 1873
- ↑ Newcastle Journal - 24 Mar 1874 and Newcastle Courant - 3 Apr 1874
- ↑ The London Gazette Publication date:19 February 1878 Issue:24553 Page:843
- ↑ Prospectus - Manchester Courier - 22 Oct 1874
- ↑ Jarrow Express - 20 Feb 1875
- ↑ Jarrow Express - 7 Apr 1877
- ↑ Newcastle Daily Chronicle - 14 Nov 1878
- ↑ London Gazette - 31 Dec 1878