Industries

This is the index page for historical notes on Bridgwater’s various historic industries. By the eighteenth century Bridgwater had developed small industries in bring making and casting, both of which were expanded in the ninetieth. The nineteenth century saw the rapid expansion of new industries, such as shirt and collar manufacturing, and industrial methods were applied to old crafts, such as wicker furniture making. All suffered greatly in the mid-twentieth century. Although some manufacturing still occurs in the town, sectors such as the brick and tile making are completely gone. We hope to expand this page in the future, and contributions are welcome.

Overviews

Bridgwater Industry Past and Present
by Edmund Porter, 1971

Brick and Tiles

The Process of Handicraft Brick Making
By Charles Tomlinson, 1852
Colthurst, Symons and Co.
Timeline 1840-1900
Auction Catalogue for the selling of two factory sites of John Board & Co. in 1960.
Inventory of the Dunball Steam Pottery , c.1886
By MKP, 2019

Ropemaking

Where were Bridgwater’s Ropewalks?
by Clare Spicer and Jill Trethewey.
The Process of Rope Making
By Charles Tomlinson, 1852
The Bridgwater Wire Rope Works
By Paul Berryman, 2020

Iron and Brass Working, with Clockmaking

The Bridgwater Bell Foundries (1739 to 1833), and comparisons with other Founders on the Severn Estuary at those times at Chepstow and Gloucester.
By Geoffrey R. Marchant, 2019
Bell Founding in Bridgwater,
Thomas Pyke & the Gaol Bells
By Tony Woolrich, 2019
Bridgwater Clockmakers through the ages
by N. & D. Woodford, 2019

Photography

York & Son, Lantern Slide Manufacturers
By Dr Peter Cattermole, 2009

Foodstuffs

The Oil & Cake Mill
By MKP, 2017