Description and History of Site:-
William Roberts Phoenix Foundry produced a significant number of stationary steam engines used to power the textile mills of Pendle and surrounding areas.
Phoenix was built on land acquired in 1862 on Hibson Street which was widened in the 1960s and renamed Broadway. It was on the junction of Sagar Street and Broadway which is now (2018) occupied by the Old Bus Station and multi-storey car park.
Of all the engines produced by Phoenix Foundry only two engines survive, albeit as preserved and regularly steamed examples.
These being at Bancroft Mill, Barnoldswick, (see LAN00012), a twin cylinder, horizontal, cross-compound, condensing engine of 650 i.h.p.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyjMDxh51gc
Also at Queen Street Mill, Harle Syke, Burnley, a 500 i.h.p tandem compound, condensing engine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFXs-N-qrnk In August 1862, William Roberts, Peter and William Marsland bought a plot of land on Hibson Street, forming a new iron founding business called Marsland, Roberts and Company. The foundry was named Phoenix.
The new company struggled to find orders at first due to the American Civil War and the resulting cotton famine. They eventually found work supplying pumping engines for a number of coal mines.
In 1866 William Marsland died and in 1867 the business was put up for sale. The sale was offered as 4930 Sq yds (4122 m Sq) floor area, consisting of, machine shop, iron foundry, pattern room, office, boiler house, sand store, press foundry, core drying stove, blacksmiths shop, two hearths and one iron crane, along with many machines and tools.
In July 1867 the business was bought by a local cotton manufacturer John Brennand. The company was soon engaged in large contracts. In 1870 they built a pair of 'McNaught' beam engines for Messrs. William Lund of North Beck Mills, Keighley, rated at 1,200 i.h.p.
However, John Brennand was soon in financial difficulties and in September 1871 William Roberts bought the company.
Between 1880 -1895 the company built over twenty medium-sized mill engines in the range of 300-1000 i.h.p, including one for Queen Street Mill in 1894.
In 1895 the company became a limited company with a capital of £25,000 in £5 shares, trading as William Roberts and Company Ltd.
William Roberts died in 1898. However by this time six of William's ten sons were involved in the company, Alfred (b.1854), Harry (b.1859), James (b.1861), Arthur (b.1867), Tom (b.1869) and Charles (b.1871). Alfred was the senior partner, Chairman and Managing Director from 1895 until he died in 1914.
In the 20th century the firm built around twenty five more textile mill engines, including Bancroft Mill's engine for James Nutter, between 1914-20.
Following Alfred's death in 1914, the business was continued by Harry Roberts who became Chairman.
The cotton industry was in decline but the company produced several more engines in the next fifteen years as well as carrying out millwrighting work to existing engines.
The largest engine produced by Phoenix Foundry for the Pendle area was at Pendle Street Room and Power Company, Nelson. When built in 1885 it had a power output of 750 i.h.p. When rebuilt in 1923 using Corliss valves to accept steam at the higher pressure of 160 p.s.i, the engine produced 1,250 i.h.p.
The largest one produced for out of the area was a cross-compound, Corliss valve engine of 1,100 i.h.p for a Jute mill in India. This was the last large engine made at this foundry.
Harry Roberts died in 1939 and John Roberts, a grandson of William Roberts took over as Managing Director. The firm was now smaller than at the turn of the century, mainly engaged with general engineering work. They continued to maintain mill engines still in use within the district.
In the later years there was only one cupola furnace in use and the few large castings required were contracted out.
Two exceptions were in November 1949, they made a replacement flywheel for an engine at Bishop House Mill, Burnley. Then in May 1953, a large flywheel for Lion Steel Works, Sheffield was cast in-house.
In 1955 the company name was changed to William Roberts (Holdings) Ltd. In 1956 the last moulders were made redundant.
Soon afterwards the company was bought by the Nelson Engineering Company. Their works were in nearby Netherfield Shed so resulted in Phoenix Foundry closing in 1959 and being bought by Nelson Corporation in 1962, later demolished as part of the town centre redevelopment.

Further Reading and References:-
Shackleton, G. The Textile Mills of Pendle and Their Steam Engines. Landmark, 2006, pp 37-42.
http://www.bancroftmill.org.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Street_Mill

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Key Words :- millwrights foundry textiles steam mill engine

Viewing the Site :- Public footpath along street.

Address :- Sagar Street, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 9SJ
Grid Ref :- SD 86101 37746
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.835780 , Long -2.212684
Local Authority :- Pendle Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Lancashire
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site redeveloped to industrial / commercial use
Site Dates :- 1862 - 1959
Record Date :- 26 September 2018

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