Any Old Iron
The main players in the Westbury Iron Company were Rowland Brotherhood (a well respected railway engineer who lived in Chippenham), and William Henry Fox Talbot (best known for inventing photography).
Construction of Westbury Ironworks began in 1857.
The main works were located next to the railway station with several open
cast mines dotted through the area.
The link HERE details a letter sent by Mr West Awdry to one William Henry Fox Talbot . Dated 1858, it describes the cracking of the tower furnaces just after construction. He goes on to say "A little north country experience should be imported into the concern, and then such untoward mishaps would be avoided". A little harsh; I think you'll agree!
The
image to your right will open in a new window. From left to right you can
see three hot draught stoves, used to heat air before passing it through the
tuyere pipe and into the furnace. Next to them is number two furnace
partially clad with support hoops and number one furnace, fully clad through the full 80 feet to
strengthen and protect the structure. Finally, on the extreme right of the
image, is the chimney.
It turned out that Westbury's iron ore was of relatively poor quality. The link HERE shows a letter dated 09 Jun 1860 from Mr Awdry (presumably WHFT's Lawyer) to Mr Fox Talbot detailing the final destination for Westbury iron. He also makes worrying noises about the cost of iron. The company ceased trading soon after this letter was received.
The ironworks reopened in 1861 under the new name of Wiltshire Iron Company. This time Fox Talbot was not involved with the company. It struggled on until the works were finally closed down and the machinery was sold off in 1939.
The site of the main works is now used by Westbury Car Auctions. The remnants of the numerous open cast mines can still been seen today, as lakes, collectively know (un-surprisingly) as 'the mineholes'.