The now defunct
Warwickshire Steam Engine Society used to produce a regular
newsletter known as The Link-up. The one time
editor and Chairman, Peter Coulls thought some of the
articles previously appearing in that newsletter may be of
interest to WIAS members. These jottings were written in 1972 by
the late Jim Durant, at a time when industrial steam was well in
decline. The text remains unchanged, however where additional
information is included, this appears in italics.
Napton Brickworks.
Sale of surplus machinery, Saturday, May
20th. Included in this sale was a steam engine by Pelham of
Walsall. This was on a 20ft. bed, so a bit large for the
majority of would be preservationists. Mr. Morton of Blists Hill
Museum was notified, it is not known whether he was able to save
it or if the torch and hammer squad moved in.
Postscript: Tuesday, 13th June. The engine is
unsold. The owner Mr. Sheasby put a reserve on of £1000! There
are two boilers, one now converted to a storage tank. The engine
was used until about fifteen years ago and drove all the
machinery, including the clay tubs by chain, the conveyors and
the crushing pan. The exhaust steam was used for drying the
‘green’ bricks. Nothing wasted here.
According to George Watkins the engine was
built by J.Wilkes of Pelsall Foundry, near Walsall, c1885? It
was a non-condensing horizontal single cylinder engine operating
at 80 psi. He suggests that the works were started in 1885 by
Nelson, Watson and Co. producing traditional bricks and tiles.
The engine was well built and was overloaded for many years,
needing little but running repairs.
Twenty six years on the site remains largely
derelict, despite several attempts to develop it. Most recently,
it has been the subject of a locally contentious planning
application for a craft village. This sought permission for a
number of detached houses with adjacent craft workshops, the
idea being to attract a community of self employed crafts
people. However, general local opinion was that this was an
underhand attempt to develop a housing estate in an
inappropriate location, and nothing seems to have come of the
proposal.
Meanwhile, fragments of the sites industrial
past remain evident, most notably the clay extraction quarry on
Napton Hill, now a fishery, and the house style office building
at the site entrance.
