Description and History of Site:-
Ironworks located at Clifton Bridge, Brighouse, manufacturer of stationary steam engines for the use as prime movers in textile mills and factories, also manufacturing milling equipment for flour and oil seed.
In 1898 Woodhouse & Mitchell were advertising as steam engine makers and general millwrights, manufacturers of mill gearing and drive pulleys, also existing engines could be inspected and improved upon for further economy and reliability.

Their engines were manufactured as either simple, compounded, triple or quadruple expansion cylinder configuration, with either Corliss, Proell or other automatic valve motions.
In later years following mergers and acquisition they moved away from steam engines, which had outlived their usefulness with the widespread use of electric drive now being common, and into producing machine tools and welding equipment, and by 1962 engineering lathes. In 1867 engine maker Wood, Baldwin & Co was founded in Birds Royd, Rastrick, Yorkshire by Joseph Wood, John Baldwin, Richard Woodhouse and Samuel Mitchell. Both Joseph Wood and Richard Woodhouse had previously worked at steam engine builders John Wood & Co of Sowerby Bridge (see WYK00133).
In 1873 the business relocated to Clifton Bridge Ironworks, Brighouse.
7th August 1881 partner Joseph Wood died, the remaining partners reorganised the business.
In 1883 John Baldwin retired from the company which now became Woodhouse & Mitchell.
Richard Woodhouse (c1842-1931) had been governing director until his retirement in 1926. He received his early training in the offices of William McNaught of Manchester and then as a draughtsman at John Wood & Co of Sowerby Bridge.
In the 1880's Franciscus Shippers joined the company from Holland and stayed with them for 50 years becoming Chief Engineer in 1910, joining the partnership. He is credited with introducing the Uniflow steam engine design to Yorkshire. He died 2nd November 1936.
1896 the company had their own design of release gear for Corliss valves, designed by one of their engineers, an American named Arthur Herschmann from New York.
1897 new works offices were built alongside Wakefield Road, consisting of timekeepers office with works entrance alongside, general office and cashier on the ground floor with two private offices on the first floor, possibly for the use of Richard Woodhouse and Samuel Mitchell.
1902 the company was incorporated and became Woodhouse & Mitchell Ltd.
The company acquired the engine drawings of Bradford engine builders Smith Brothers & Eastwood on their closure in 1902 (see WYK 01098 and WYK 01100).
1926 Richard Woodhouse retired from the company and was succeeded as Managing Director by Joseph Mitchell. In 1934 Joseph Mitchell died. The company was bought by John Illingworth and re registered as Woodhouse & Mitchell (1934) Ltd. He was a director of Widdop, Shackleton & Co who had an adjacent factory in Brighouse, Woodhouse & Mitchell now diversifying into producing machine tools as the days of the mill steam engine was nearing its end.
In 1939 they were listed as suppliers to the aircraft industry as general engineers, machine tool makers and makers of welding machines.
By 1951 the company was taken over by the Thomas W. Ward group of companies.
In 1962 Woodhouse & Mitchell merged with machine tool makers Frederick Town & Sons of Miles Cross Engineering Works, Gibbet Street, Halifax, Yorkshire. The company now named Town Woodhouse, manufacturing engineering lathes, radial and vertical drills and milling machines, trading under the name Town Woodhouse, still under the ownership of Thomas W. Ward, at their Clifton Bridge works which remained the headquarters until the works were closed in 1967. The works offices on Wakefield road were demolished in 2017 with the whole works site now occupied by a supermarket (2020).

Further Reading and References:-
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Woodhouse_and_Mitchell
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Thomas_W._Ward
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Richard_Woodhouse
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Frederick_Town_and_Sons
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Town_Woodhouse
Building Plans CMT3/MU9:64-65 West Yorkshire Archive Service - Calderdale.

Help us improve this entry

The compilers welcome corrections or additional information on all sites.
Any information provided will be verified before appearing on the web site.

Email comments

Key Words :- steam engine manufacturers foundry engineers lathes iron works

Viewing the Site :- Public footpath alongside road.

Address :- Wakefield Road, Grove Street , Brighouse, West Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SE 14941 22813
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.701540 , Long -1.775166
Local Authority :- Calderdale Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site cleared - no above ground remains visible
Record Date :- 25 February 2020

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