Industrial History Online

Industrial History Online

Newton, Bean & Mitchell - Dudley Hill

Description and History of Site:-
Newton, Bean & Mitchell (NB&M) were manufacturers of stationary steam engines predominantly for the textile mills of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The Dawson Lane Works, or New Works as they were known within the company, had a large foundry and an erecting shop each served by a 20 ton capacity overhead travelling crane and between these two high-bay shops was a lower height bay containing the machine shop. Some of the larger machines were placed in the erecting shop, presumably to make use of the overhead crane. In addition to these three large shops, the works contained a core shop, pattern shop, engine and boiler houses, cart shed and stables, tackle stores and office block.

Initially most of the engines produced were small with a few medium sized engines. Their favoured design of engine was the tandem compound corliss-valve with over 40% of their total production being of this type with tandem compound HP corliss-valve and LP slide-valve being the next best seller. From 1903 up to the First World War production was on average eight engines per year, mostly in the medium sized 150-500 HP range with a number of larger engines of up to 1000 HP. Alongside production of new engines the firm was involved with repair work, rebuilding and modernising of existing engines of any make, together with millwrighting and general engineering for other trades.
Alongside engine production NB&M produced condensing plant for use on their and other makes of engines. The vast majority of the units produced were powered by the extended tail-shaft from the LP cylinder of the engines and installed at floor level (as opposed to a cellar installed version). The condensing plants purpose was to remove exhaust steam from an engine at the end of the steams working cycle and to inject it with cold water thereby turning it into hot water (a vacuum produced during this process providing the engine with extra power). The oscillating piston within the condensing plant forced the hot water and air into the hot-well, that water then returning to the boiler feed.
During the 1890's whilst a partner at Bradford engine manufacturers Smith Brothers and Eastwood (see WYK01100, WYK 01098) William Eastwood patented a combined double acting air-pump and jet-condenser which were fitted to that companies engines. In 1907 an improved version was patented by Eastwood who had by then become chief designer at NB&M, they manufactured it for nearly 50 years with 115 known to have been fitted to their own or retro-fitted to other makes of engines.
Eastwood also patented an engine speed controlling governor called the 'Bee' and it was manufactured by the Universal Valve and Chemical Co, a small concern with manufacturing space within NB&M's Dawson Lane Works. Between 90-100 of this type of governor were produced, 40 being for NB&M engines. Henry Bean, a former draughtsman with Bradford engine builders Cole, Marchent & Morley (see WYK02398), and partner William Newton established their business in an existing foundry previously owned by Cole, Booth & Co, the Vulcan Iron Works, Vulcan Street, Tong Street, Bradford (NGR SE18962 30363) as Newton and Bean, opening their order book in March 1896. As the business expanded a new partner joined the firm, James Siddal Mitchell with the firm now Newton, Bean and Mitchell. It's first engine catalogue appeared under that name on 1st March 1899.
Vulcan Works soon appears to have become unsuitable as a new factory was purpose built in nearby Dawson Lane, Dudley Hill.
Early 1900 a high speed vertical engine was built for use in these new works and the firm was first recorded at the new address in 1901.
The Dawson Lane factory was known within the company as the New Works but neither name was used on company literature, the address always shown as Newton, Bean & Mitchell, Dudley Hill, Bradford.
During the First World War the company was not directly involved with the production of weapons or munitions but did a lot of work outside their normal production such as steam pumps, cranes and marine engines.
With the wars end, the country experienced a short boom in industry and in 1920 the company took orders for 13 new engines and were so busy that a number of engines had to be contracted out to other builders. After the boom period, business quietened off between the 1920's and 1930's and orders were harder to come by, only 19 engines were built between 1920 and 1936.
The Second World War saw a change in management. All three partners were gone with Henry Bean having died and control of the firm having passed to his son William Henry Bean, son-in-law W.Scott and grandson H.D.Bean.
A fire in the foundry shop saw the destruction of the facility with castings being contracted out thereafter.
The very last steam engine ordered was contracted out in 1945.
The textile industries were now contracting and had little finance for new engines, with some mills having already converted to electrical driving, the days of the steam mill engine was approaching the end, however many steam driven mills persevered with their old engines so millwrighting and repair work was still available.
In 1948 NB&M was sold to Crofts (Engineers) Ltd of Thornbury, Bradford, just a few miles away from Dawson Lane Works. The new owners allowed the business to carry on trading under its old name but as Crofts had their own foundries, the one at Dawson Lane was never reactivated.
Crofts claimed to be the 'Largest Manufacturer of Power Transmission Equipment in the British Empire' so all millwrighting work was carried out using Crofts products. This had the effect of running down the Dawson Lane Works with the removal of some equipment and reduction in staff. Parts of Dawson Lane Works were re-purposed enabling steel fabrication and gear cutting to be transferred there from elsewhere within Crofts.
Through the 1950's NB&M survived by obtaining business in new areas such as East Lancashire and the NCB coalfields. However the further decline of the textile and coal industries lead to the closure of NB&M in 1961 with staff moving to other Crofts divisions.


Further Reading and References:-
The Journal of the Northern Mill Engine Society 'The Flywheel' April 2013 pp1-7 Brian Kershaw.
The Journal of the Northern Mill Engine Society 'The Flywheel' April 2017 pp1-9 Brian Kershaw.


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Key Words :- steam engine manufacturers foundry engineers

Address :- Dawson Lane, Dudley Hill, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SE 18576 30375
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.769391 , Long -1.719655
Local Authority :- City of Bradford
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site in alternative industrial use
Site Dates :- 1901 -
Contributor :- Andrew Garford - 11 January 2020

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