Barrow Flax and Jute Co

Established in 1870.

Frontage on Hindpool Road of 580ft and extend back 360ft along Abbey Road, Barrow-in-Furness.

W. Fleming was the managing director and Mr. Melville is the mill manager.

Jute fabrics were used in the production of telegraph cables, wire ropes, oil-cloth and linoleum manufactures, ropes, twines, cords and even artificial hair.

Later produced Kalemeit for carpets, rugs, window drapery etc.

They baled up their wares for shipping using purpose-made wire, supplied by the Barrow Steel Wire Co.

There are three large engines in the works. The spinning mill engines are a pair of compound beam engines made by Messrs. J. Musgrave and Sons, Bolton, who also supplied the weaving and calendaring engines. The calendaring engines are of the compound horizontal type, the high-pressure cylinder being 20in. diameter with 4ft. stroke, and the low-pressure 33in. diameter. The horse-power of these engines is put down at 180. These engines are supplied with steam generated by ten Galloway boilers. There are in the boiler-house two force pumps used for fire-extinguishing purposes, and also for feeding the boiler, and it is worthy of remark that these pumps did very great service on the occasion of the late fire. The company has also provided a manual fire engine with all the necessary apparatus for a speedy supply of water in the case of fire.

The excellence of the manufactures of this company won for them the gold medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1878.

1880 A visit to the works was conducted by members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the description of the works was published in The Engineer and can be read at The Engineer 1880/10/15.

See Also

• 1873 Vienna Universal Exhibition
• 1880 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Visits to Works
• 1901 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Visits to Works
• Richard Wilson Finlayson
• The Engineer 1880/10/15