|
Post by Waverley on Jun 5, 2007 10:34:40 GMT 1
WILLIAM BEARDMORE
SOLE proprietor till recently, when the concern was formed into a limited liability company, of the world-famous Parkhead Forge, Rolling Mills, and Steel Works, Mr. Beardmore was born at Greenwich in 1857. A few years later his father removed to Glasgow, to work the Parkhead Forge in company with Mr. Rigby, patentee of a new and powerful type of steam hammer. The son accordingly received his education at Glasgow High School and Ayr Academy. At the age of fifteen he entered the Forge, and served for a time in each of its chief departments, attending at the same time evening classes in mathematics and chemistry at Anderson's College. He also, for 2½ years, studied chemistry and metallurgy at South Kensington School of Mines. During this period of apprenticeship his father died, but his uncle, Isaac Beardmore, who had been made a partner on the retiral of Mr. Rigby, carried on the business. In 1880 Mr. William Beardmore was in turn taken into partnership, and six years later his uncle retired from the business. Under his sole management the Forge continued to develop and extend till it covers over ninety acres, and employs some four thousand men. It has a reputation over all the world for the manufacture of all classes of armour for battleships, boiler and ship plates, castings, shafting of all descriptions up to the greatest dimensions, railway material, such as tyres, axles, finished wheels and axles, etc., etc. In 1900 the firm purchased the old-established shipyard and engineering works of Messrs. Robert Napier & Sons, the firm which had supported Messrs. Rigby & Beardmore in their early struggles, and from which they had bought the Forge itself in 1861. And now the vast new shipbuilding and engineering yard, seventy acres in extent, laid out by Messrs. Beardmore at Dalmuir, promises to rival the magnitude even of Parkhead Forge, and to become perhaps the greatest undertaking of its kind on the Clyde. The limited company was formed in 1902 with a capital of £2,500,000, and combined with that of Messrs. Vickers, Son, & Maxim. Mr. Beardmore is Chairman and Managing Director of the Scottish company, and a Director of the English one. He is a Member of the Institute of Naval Architects, of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, of the Iron and Steel Institute, and of the Institution of Shipbuilders and Engineers of Scotland.
|
|
|
Post by pwm437 on Jul 7, 2007 10:42:06 GMT 1
Parkhead Forge was established in 1837 by the Reoch Brothers. In 1843 the works were acqured by David Napier, and changed hands once again in 1863 when William Beardmore Snr. purchased it.
William Beardmore Jnr. (see above) took control of the Forge in 1887.
The size of the Beardmore enterprise cannot be understated. In their heyday, during the First World War, they had a combined workforce at all their facilities of 40,000, with a weekly payroll of £125,000.
They built ships at Dalmuir and airships at Inchinnan.
Parkhead Forge ceased trading in 1975, and at the time of its closure, the workers were trying to save 450 jobs. About 1% of the heyday total.
|
|
trotsky
New Member
Hello Hello
Posts: 404
|
Post by trotsky on Aug 12, 2007 15:37:34 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by pwm437 on Aug 22, 2007 20:33:38 GMT 1
There was a nice little photie in today's Herald which showed the laboratory building of the Forge, right at the junction of Duke Street and Shettleston Road, which of course has been demolished. It stood next to the Labour Exchange, which now serves as a worship centre.
|
|
|
Post by Waverley on Aug 22, 2007 20:45:30 GMT 1
Peter I have came across a few photos of that area recently...I'll upload them soon.
|
|
|
Post by Waverley on Aug 24, 2007 7:50:12 GMT 1
There was a nice little photie in today's Herald which showed the laboratory building of the Forge, right at the junction of Duke Street and Shettleston Road, which of course has been demolished. It stood next to the Labour Exchange, which now serves as a worship centre. Did you keep a copy of it Peter...as I am doing some stuff for this site on that area.
|
|
|
Post by Waverley on Oct 20, 2007 9:57:21 GMT 1
Sir William Beardmore or Lord Invernairn as he was later to be known.
|
|
|
Post by pwm437 on Oct 20, 2007 10:56:20 GMT 1
He cuts a fine dash
|
|
trotsky
New Member
Hello Hello
Posts: 404
|
Post by trotsky on Oct 20, 2007 17:30:10 GMT 1
Capitalist, exploiter of the Parkheed working classes, including me
|
|
|
Post by Waverley on Oct 20, 2007 23:38:00 GMT 1
If he had never had been there then there would've been a lot of empty bellies in Parkhead and surrounding districts for decades...some people are born to lead whilst others are quite simply born to be led.
|
|
|
Post by pwm437 on Oct 21, 2007 15:37:21 GMT 1
Nice wee tribute weanie
|
|
trotsky
New Member
Hello Hello
Posts: 404
|
Post by trotsky on Oct 22, 2007 14:14:15 GMT 1
Weanie, my Da also worked in the Forge for many years, he was one of the crane drivers that worked in G H and I shop, perhaps they knew each other, his name was Charlie Stevenson known as big Chick. Charlie, yur man ran his business to make money, not for the benefit of the Parkhead poor, and when the factory stoped making money, he sold up and left, a capiatalist like I said.
|
|
|
Post by peggy on Jan 4, 2008 3:36:46 GMT 1
My Dad and his brother worked in the Forge also I was born in Rigby street, Carntyne. and now I know who it was named after so cheers Charlie I always like to know a wee bit about everything if I can help it so well done you and our Peter as he is a source of information to I just love learning about the places.
Charlie I still haven't got round to asking my uncle what year my grand/father was killed outside the Forge I will phone him soon .
p
|
|
trotsky
New Member
Hello Hello
Posts: 404
|
Post by trotsky on Jan 5, 2008 16:36:24 GMT 1
I remember all the gofurs took turns at standing besides the uniformed commisionaire to open the door for Sir William Beardmore when he got out of his flash car in the morning, we had to bow our heads and smile as the great man whisked past, remember thinking why the fu.. can't he open the door himself like the rest of us. Trotsky considering Sir William died in 1936 I cannot see how you opened doors for him when he arrived at the Forge in his flash car...when you weren't born until twenty years after his death. Charlie, just noticed your response, if it wasn't yur man himself it was the person who was the boss of the company at that time round about 1965/66
|
|
|
Post by ronnieauld2 on Mar 17, 2008 14:05:32 GMT 1
my dad olso worked in parkhead forge during the last war twice he skipped to dover to join the army but they caught him and send him back to the forge. his name was Jimmy Auld sen.He was bricklayer lining the furnaces with fire brick,i remember him showing me the 2 arrest warants.
|
|
|
Post by lundie on Mar 22, 2008 19:50:58 GMT 1
My great, great grandfather Robert Adams was an engine keeper in the forge Parkhead, he was burnt to death by boiling oil in his place of work 1929, he lived up above the Netherfield pub, before that he lived in Edmonson street.
|
|
|
Post by peggy on Mar 31, 2008 18:03:54 GMT 1
I think a lot of the population then worked there who came from surrounding area's.
|
|
patrick
Full Member
Patrick, the 'Tic Man"
Posts: 2,290
|
Post by patrick on Oct 25, 2010 17:41:24 GMT 1
My Granda George Tennant worked there from the day he left school, as an apprentice up until the 50s when one of the overhead cranes hit him, he never recovered and died around 1960, with no pension or compensation, for his Injurie's,
|
|
|
Post by davidhendry on Dec 15, 2010 9:50:42 GMT 1
Where can I find biog. of Mr. Rigby?
Lived off Rigby St. most of my childhood, and never knew where the name came from.
Davie.
|
|
jawbox
New Member
go into messages at the top on the home page, click on Create Message, type in user name and message
Posts: 12
|
Post by jawbox on Dec 15, 2010 15:24:02 GMT 1
David Cant find all that much about him - see here:- www.goring1941.freeserve.co.uk/beard01.htmlWilliam's father, also William, was the first born (baptised 1 May 1825, Greenwich) of Joseph (c. 1799 - 14 May 1872) and Ann (c.1803 - 7 Apr 1873). Joseph was first Superintendent of the Deptford Works of the General Steam Navigation Co. William senior was apprenticed to his father about 1838 and later became his assistant. While at Deptford he devised a new furnace box that reduced the smoke produced by river steamers. His inventiveness brought him into contact with James Napier, marine engineer and son of Robert, and his brother-in-law William Rigby, manager of Robert Napier's Parkhead Forge in east Glasgow. In due course these two Williams co-operated on the development of marine engines and became partners in the forge after Rigby purchased it from Napier in 1861. www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/William_Beardmore_and_CoThe company was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people. It was founded and owned by William Beardmore, later Lord Invernairn, after whom the Beardmore Glacier was named. 1835 Robert Napier the 'father' of the shipbuilding on the Clyde purchased a forge at Parkhead. He later acquired a yard a Govan and commenced shipbuilding there in the 1840s. 1868 Robert Napier retired and William Rigby, his son-in-law, took over the Parkhead Forge. Around this time William Beardmore went in to partnership with William Rigby. On the retirement of William Rigby, Isaac Beardmore the brother of William became a partner and the company as called W. and I. Beardmore. 1886 William the son of William Beardmore took sole charge of the business. Initially the company operated a steelworks and gun arsenal at Parkhead, in the east end of Glasgow. This was the most profitable part of the company and was the last part to be disposed of after the death of Lord Invernairn in 1936. 1900 They purchased the Dalmuir works for the building of warships and ordnance. Just for info, my Mother and Aunt Pearl both worked in Beardmore's during the war. Hope that helps a wee bit Joe
|
|
|
Post by lindyloo22 on Dec 15, 2010 16:10:12 GMT 1
You must be proud of your mammy and auntie Joe that widnae have been an easy job.
|
|
Isabel
New Member
3 Words, 2 Hearts, 1 Love.
Posts: 450
|
Post by Isabel on Jan 2, 2011 16:23:06 GMT 1
My Dad met my Mum during the war in Parkhead Forge. They were married in June 1944 and they live in Mc Ewan Street where both my sister (Parkheadbaby15) and I were born. I was born in no. 31 and she was born in no.15. They stayed there until Dec. 1956 when we moved to Castlemilk. My Dad was born in no.23, Mc Ewan Street. ( so we were born on the posh side of the street ie : the red sandstone building LOL which was like the red sandstone tenement in Helenvale Street currently being restored.)
|
|
|
Post by oorwullie on Jan 5, 2011 16:01:03 GMT 1
There was a nice little photie in today's Herald which showed the laboratory building of the Forge, right at the junction of Duke Street and Shettleston Road, which of course has been demolished. It stood next to the Labour Exchange, which now serves as a worship centre. So I did see a white cross on the chimney then, who are using it as a place of worship then Peter. ?? cu oorwullie
|
|