Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 1154342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 167,670 pages of information and 247,074 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Barrett, Exall and Andrewes

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Horse mill at Waimate Museum, New Zealand
Horse mill at Waimate Museum, New Zealand
Horse mill at Waimate Museum, New Zealand
Engine at Devenish's Brewery, Weymouth

Barrett, Exall & Andrewes of Katesgrove Iron Works, Reading

Founded in 1817/18, employing up to 360 people and occupying a 12 acre plot. They produced agricultural machinery and portable/fixed engines.

1838 provided ironwork for Brunel's new London-Bristol Railway.

1851 Exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Details of their products shown at

1851 Award at the 1851 Great Exhibition. See details at

1858 George Barrett died; his memorial is made of cast iron.

1860 Produced internal combustion (gas) engines, designed in 1860 by Lenoir. They also carried out much work for Palmer's local biscuit company, including a steam-driven biscuit machine.

1862 Exhibited at the 1862 London Exhibition. Details of their products shown at

1864 the company changed to a limited company, the Reading Iron Works Ltd, and ultimately went into liquidation during the agricultural slump of 1888.[1]

1877 Alfred Palmer, one-time High Sheriff of Berkshire, married the youngest daughter of William Exall, one of the iron foundry's partners.


Stationary steam engine installed at Devenish Brewery, Weymouth. [2]

See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. [1]Village Pumps website
  2. 'Stationary Steam Engines of Great Britain, Vol 7' by George Watkins, Landmark Publishing Ltd. See Plate 16