Redbrook industries
This entry serves as a marshalling point for the variety of industrial activities in Redbrook, on the River Wye in the Forest of Dean (Glos.)
Manufacturing in Redbrook was dominated by copper works, and later tinplate works at Upper and Lower Redbrook. The works at the two sites had a had a long and complicated history, and were at times interlinked. Where information relating to the separate works can be distinguished, it is presented in the entries devoted to Redbrook Ironworks and Redbrook Tinplate Co.
Given the Wye Valley’s status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is difficult to imagine the presence of heavy industry here, but the need for imagination is reduced by the collective Wye Valley authorities' provision of superb display boards describing an illustrating aspects of the lost local industries. There are two at Redbrook, one devoted largely to copper production, the other to tinplate (see photographs).
The villages of Upper and Lower Redbrook, were defined by two water courses and their narrow valleys. Little evidence remains of the important Lower copper and tinplate works, but Upper Redbrook offers more scope for the seeker of industrial remains.
Redbrook Brewery
'Melancholy and Fatal Accident the Upper Redbrook Brewery, Monmouth. —It is our painful duty, this week, to record a most distressing accident that befel a man named Edward Brown, a native of Monmouth, in the employ of the Messrs. Hall, of Redbrook. It appears that, on Monday last, Brown was employed washing bottles, and had heated water in large copper for that purpose. Just after two o clock, a named Harper, who was engaged in repairing the roof of a building, came and asked where the wet came in. Brown got on the top of the furnace to show him, and was in the act of pointing to the spot, when fell backwards, and was completely immersed the scalding water. Harper immediately endeavoured to assist him, but he got out himself, and exclaimed “It is a bad job." Every attention was paid to him, and all that human aid could do was done to relieve his sufferings. He remained perfectly sensible, and conversed with his friends to within few minutes of his death, which took place at a quarter past three o'clock on Tuesday morning, having survived the accident thirteen hours. He bore an excellent character from his employers, was 23 years age, and has left a young wife with a posthumous offspring. A coroner's inquest was held, on Thursday, before T. Hughes, Esq., when the above facts were related, and a verdict of accidental death returned.—Hereford Times.'[1]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Kendal Mercury, 21 October 1843