Eagle Ironworks, Oxford
Encyclopedia
The Eagle Ironworks was an ironworks
owned by Lucy's on the Oxford Canal
in Jericho, Oxford
, England
. The ironworks was on Walton Well Road
at the northern end of Walton Street
and backed onto St Sepulchre's Cemetery
. The site was demolished in 2007 and has been redeveloped, mainly with apartments.
William Carter moved his iron
foundry
from Summertown
in north Oxford
to the banks of the Oxford Canal in 1825, one of the first developments in what is now the district of Jericho in central Oxford. The company specialized in cast iron
objects, especially ornamental ironwork
. William Grafton became a partner and in 1830 Carter moved to the Eagle Foundry in Leamington
. Grafton continued to manage the foundry in Oxford, which became known as the Eagle Ironworks. In 1854, the company obtained the freehold for the site from St John's College
, which owned much of north Oxford. When Grafton died in 1861, William Lucy, his partner, took over the running of the foundry. When he in turn died in 1873, the name of the ironworks became "Lucy's".
The company produced ornamental ironwork for the development of North Oxford
and the University of Oxford
colleges during the expansion of Oxford in the Victorian
period. Production changed to electrical engineering
and stainless steel
, including arc lamp
s, electric lamp fittings, steam roller castings and, appropriately for Oxford, library stacking. During both World War I
and World War II
(WWII), Lucy's manufactured munitions. Between the wars, they concentrated on electrical engineering and switchgear
manufacture. After WWII, machine tool production was also undertaken.
In the 1960s, the company built two large apartment blocks on the wharves by the canal. The company has now ceased operation on the premises, but the redevelopment of this site has been controversial due to environmental considerations.
In 2006, an archaeological evaluation of the site was undertaken, prior to redevelopment. During the archaeological excavations, a 17th-century pit and a possible 19th-century well
were discovered.
(1878–1957) worked at the Eagle Ironworks, as recounted in his autobiography It's Me, O Lord!.
The Eagle Ironworks was featured in the 2003 novel Lyra's Oxford
by the Oxford-based author Philip Pullman
. The story includes a fictitious "Randolph Lucy", a 17th-century alchemist
with an eagle
-demon
who had his laboratory on nearby Juxon Street. An entry for the Eagle Ironworks is included in an extract from a fictitious version of the Baedeker
guide.
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
owned by Lucy's on the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
in Jericho, Oxford
Jericho, Oxford
Jericho is a historic suburb of the English city of Oxford. It consists of the streets bounded by the Oxford Canal, Worcester College, Walton Street and Walton Well Road. Located outside the old city wall, it was originally a place for travellers to rest if they had reached the city after the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The ironworks was on Walton Well Road
Walton Well Road
Walton Well Road is a road in central north Oxford, England. It provides the main link from central Oxford to Port Meadow and beyond.- Location :...
at the northern end of Walton Street
Walton Street
Walton Street is on the eastern edge of the Jericho district of central Oxford, England.- Overview :The street runs north from the western end of Beaumont Street and northern end of Worcester Street by the main entrance of Worcester College. Somerville College, one of the former women's colleges,...
and backed onto St Sepulchre's Cemetery
St Sepulchre's Cemetery
St Sepulchre's Cemetery is located in Jericho, central Oxford, England.The cemetery was opened in 1849, initially as an overflow for north Oxford because existing cemeteries were overcrowded with corpses from epidemics such as cholera...
. The site was demolished in 2007 and has been redeveloped, mainly with apartments.
History
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
from Summertown
Summertown, Oxford
Summertown in North Oxford is a suburb of Oxford, England.Summertown is a residential area, one mile square north of St Giles, the beautiful boulevard leading out of Oxford’s city centre. Summertown is home to exclusive schools and the city’s most expensive houses. On both sides of Banbury Road are...
in north Oxford
North Oxford
North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College....
to the banks of the Oxford Canal in 1825, one of the first developments in what is now the district of Jericho in central Oxford. The company specialized in cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
objects, especially ornamental ironwork
Ironwork
Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil or architectural feature made of iron especially used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000BC, it was the Hittites who first knew how to extract it and develop weapons...
. William Grafton became a partner and in 1830 Carter moved to the Eagle Foundry in Leamington
Leamington Hastings
Leamington Hastings is a small village and larger civil parish in Warwickshire, England.-The village:The village is about 7 miles south-west of Rugby and west of the A426 road between Rugby and Southam. To the north of the village is the Draycote Water reservoir...
. Grafton continued to manage the foundry in Oxford, which became known as the Eagle Ironworks. In 1854, the company obtained the freehold for the site from St John's College
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
, which owned much of north Oxford. When Grafton died in 1861, William Lucy, his partner, took over the running of the foundry. When he in turn died in 1873, the name of the ironworks became "Lucy's".
The company produced ornamental ironwork for the development of North Oxford
North Oxford
North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College....
and the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
colleges during the expansion of Oxford in the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
period. Production changed to electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
, including arc lamp
Arc lamp
"Arc lamp" or "arc light" is the general term for a class of lamps that produce light by an electric arc . The lamp consists of two electrodes, first made from carbon but typically made today of tungsten, which are separated by a gas...
s, electric lamp fittings, steam roller castings and, appropriately for Oxford, library stacking. During both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(WWII), Lucy's manufactured munitions. Between the wars, they concentrated on electrical engineering and switchgear
Switchgear
The term switchgear, used in association with the electric power system, or grid, refers to the combination of electrical disconnects, fuses and/or circuit breakers used to isolate electrical equipment. Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to be done and to clear faults...
manufacture. After WWII, machine tool production was also undertaken.
In the 1960s, the company built two large apartment blocks on the wharves by the canal. The company has now ceased operation on the premises, but the redevelopment of this site has been controversial due to environmental considerations.
In 2006, an archaeological evaluation of the site was undertaken, prior to redevelopment. During the archaeological excavations, a 17th-century pit and a possible 19th-century well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
were discovered.
Literature
During the early 20th century, the poet and short story writer A. E. CoppardA. E. Coppard
Alfred Edgar Coppard was an English writer, noted for his influence on the short story form, and poet.-Life:He was born, the son of a tailor and a housemaid, in Folkestone, and had little formal education...
(1878–1957) worked at the Eagle Ironworks, as recounted in his autobiography It's Me, O Lord!.
The Eagle Ironworks was featured in the 2003 novel Lyra's Oxford
Lyra's Oxford
Lyra's Oxford is a short book by Philip Pullman depicting an episode involving the heroine of His Dark Materials, Pullman's best-selling trilogy. Lyra's Oxford is set when Lyra Silvertongue is 15, two years after the end of the trilogy...
by the Oxford-based author Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
. The story includes a fictitious "Randolph Lucy", a 17th-century alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
with an eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
-demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
who had his laboratory on nearby Juxon Street. An entry for the Eagle Ironworks is included in an extract from a fictitious version of the Baedeker
Baedeker
Verlag Karl Baedeker is a Germany-based publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred as simply "Baedekers" , contain important introductions, descriptions of buildings, of museum collections, etc., written by the best specialists, and...
guide.
Further reading
- Andrews, Philip W. S. (1965). The Eagle Ironworks Oxford: The story of W. Lucy and Company Limited, Mills & BoonMills & BoonMills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels. It was founded in 1908, and was independent until its purchase in 1971 by Harlequin Enterprises with whom the company had had a long informal partnership...
.
External links
- Lucy's on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...