Industrial History Online

Industrial History Online

The Railway Foundry - Pearson Street

Description and History of Site:-
Charles Todd, who received his training in locomotive building at the nearby Matthew Murray's Round Foundry in Holbeck (see WYK01412), was a founding partner of Todd, Kitson and Laird. James Kitson was the son of a licensed victualler of the Brunswick Tavern, North Leeds and the financier David Laird was a wealthy Scottish farmer.
Todd, Kitson and Laird started the Railway Foundry in 1837, almost certainly in Pearson Street, Hunslet, Leeds in an old mill building. The company received their first order for six locomotives for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first pair were 0-4-2 Tender engines 'Lion' and 'Tiger' and were supplied in 1838 at a cost of £1,100 each.
Local legend says that when the first engine 'Lion' was due to leave the works, it was too large to pass through the doors of the mill, a wall being removed to accommodate the removal of the engine. The use of the mill was short lived as on 1st September 1837 the firm advertised in the Leeds Mercury that they were working in ''entirely new buildings erected for the purpose''.
The Ordnance Survey 25'' map surveyed in 1846-7 and published 1852 shows the Railway Foundry on the South side of Pearson Street with a railway track leaving the works and looping to the North to join with the Airedale Foundry and then the Midlands Railway Goods Yard.
The Railway Foundry was known locally as the 'Quadrangle' due to its layout, the main entrance archway onto Pearson Street still exists along with a section of brick wall which are listed Grade II. This is the archway with the railway track shown on the 1852 map (see map extract image). Todd dissolved the partnership in 1839, with Kitson and Laird forming the Airedale Foundry on the other side of Pearson Street to the North.
Todd formed a new partnership with John Shepherd becoming Shepherd and Todd's Railway Foundry on the South side of the street. Orders came from the York and North Midlands and Hull and Selby Railways for 2-2-2 locos to the design of John Gray, the Locomotive Superintendent of the Hull and Selby Railway.

With the closure of nearby Fenton, Murray and Jackson in 1843, locomotive engineers were looking for work, including David Joy who joined the Railway Foundry and was given a free rein to design locomotives, despite being at an early age and having only just completed his training.
About twenty locos were produced at the works with about fifty men before Todd suddenly left the business in June 1844 to form the Sun Foundry on Dewsbury Road, Hunslet.
His place at the Railway Foundry was taken up by an ambitious man, Edward Brown Wilson of the well known family of Hull ship owners (the Wilson Line), forming a partnership with Shepherd in November 1844. He soon had controlling interest in the company. After six months or so he elevated David Joy to Acting Chief Draughtsman, Wilson was working on plans for an ambitious expansion programme. Joy went on to design the Jenny Lind locomotive which became so successful it became Wilson's standard design, going on to produce 70 examples for various railways.
Wilson temporarily left the Railway Foundry in 1846, due to a disagreement, and left the works in the hands of James Fenton (son of one of the Round Foundry partners) and John Chester Craven (an ex Round Foundry pupil), the works then trading under the name of Fenton and Craven. Ten 2-4-0 outside cylinder locos were produced for the York and North Midlands Railway, also similar locos for Newcastle and Darlington and Eastern Counties Railways.

Wilson returned for a complete takeover in November 1846. Fenton staying on as Works Manager but Craven left for the Brighton Works.
The company was now E.B. Wilson and Company but the works plates just carried the title 'Railway Foundry, Leeds' and year of construction.
With all the available work, rapid expansion of the business came quickly. Wilson purchased, or leased, all nearby land to the works between Pearson Street and Jack Lane.
He completed new boiler works and erecting shops on the land that would eventually become The Hunslet Engine Company, Manning Wardle, Hudswell Clarke and J & H McLaren, with the eventual demise of E.B. Wilson's in 1858.
The works had become the foremost engine builder in Britain employing four hundred men. In December 1847 Wilson held a banquet for two thousand guests in the new erecting hall, all the major railways and local dignitaries were represented, the Kitson family the only notable exception.

With the new buildings in use, the Quadrangle was used for a period as a pattern store but by the 1960's there was hardly anything left of the building except the still extant entrance arch and a section of brick wall.


Further Reading and References:-
The Railway Foundry Leeds 1839-1969, Redman, R.N,1972. Goose and Sons, Norwich pp5-9.
http://www.leedsengine.info/leeds/histebw.asp#EBW
http://www.leedsengine.info/leeds/histk.asp
http://www.leedsengine.info/leeds/histebw.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lind_locomotive


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Key Words :- locomotive works engineers foundry

Viewing the Site :- Viewing from roadside

Address :- Pearson Street, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1BQ
Grid Ref :- SE 30678 32186
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.785099 , Long -1.535875
Local Authority :- Leeds Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1375478,
Site Condition :- Site derelict - some buildings remaining
Contributor :- Andrew Garford - 2 June 2019

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Andrew Garford