George Adlam & Sons
Encyclopedia
George Adlam & Sons Ltd was an iron
and brass
foundry
and engineering
company in Fishponds, Bristol
, England
.
The company was founded on Parnall Road in the 1830s and soon expanded into a worldwide business building machinery for the chocolate
and brewing
industries, taking over the former foundry of Parnall & Sons
. Work included the construction of the Phillips & Sons Dock Road Brewery in Newport
in 1887, the rebuild of Portsmouth
United Breweries in 1896, the Wadworth
Northgate Brewery stationary steam engine in 1900 (which still exists) and design of the Madras BBB brewery in India
in 1913.
to serve soldiers with beer in the Pacific Theatre
in World War II
capable of making 250 barrels of beer a week. Initially four were ordered, but this reduced to two and the former Blue Funnel Line
7,500 ton auxiliary minesweepers
and , were outfitted in Vancouver
, Canada
, in the summer of 1945.
Only Menestheus saw service, completed on 31 December 1945 and completing a six month deployment to Pacific ports including Yokohama
, Shanghai
and Hong Kong
to dispense English Mild Ale
to sailors. Her brew house, known as "Davy Jones
Brewery" was dismantled in 1946 and the ship was returned to her owners in 1948.
workers, brass and ironfounders, showing the diversity of their work. The height came in 1961 when they had booming orders and employed 400 staff round the clock to meet demand. It was not to last as a combination of a High Court
noise case and a lack of raw materials curtailed firstly the production of brewing tanks, then led to the company collapsing in November 1963. The brewery tank business moved to Cheltenham
and the site was sold in 1965.
The foundry frontage, constructed of stone with brick window surrounds, is now known as The Mill or the Adlams Works on Parnall Road is now used as residential and Art, Media and Design company offices including the Rohan Music Studios and Intellect Publishers.
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...
and brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
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...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
company in Fishponds, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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 company was founded on Parnall Road in the 1830s and soon expanded into a worldwide business building machinery for the chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
and brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
industries, taking over the former foundry of Parnall & Sons
Parnall & Sons
Parnall & Sons Ltd was a shop and ship fitting and aircraft component manufacturer in Bristol, England. The original company was set up in 1820 by William Parnall in Narrow Wine Street, initially making weights and measures, before expanding into shop keeping equipment and shop fittings.By the...
. Work included the construction of the Phillips & Sons Dock Road Brewery in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in 1887, the rebuild of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
United Breweries in 1896, the Wadworth
Wadworth Brewery
Wadworth is a regional brewery founded in 1875 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. They are particularly famous for their 6X beer, but also are a major brewery in the South of England.-History:...
Northgate Brewery stationary steam engine in 1900 (which still exists) and design of the Madras BBB brewery in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1913.
Brewery ships
In 1944 the company designed a brewing ship for the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to serve soldiers with beer in the Pacific Theatre
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
in 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...
capable of making 250 barrels of beer a week. Initially four were ordered, but this reduced to two and the former Blue Funnel Line
Blue Funnel Line
Alfred Holt and Company, marketed as the Blue Funnel Line, was founded by Alfred Holt on 16 January 1866.The main operating subsidiary was the Ocean Steam Ship Company, which owned and operated the majority of the company's vessels....
7,500 ton auxiliary minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
and , were outfitted in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in the summer of 1945.
Only Menestheus saw service, completed on 31 December 1945 and completing a six month deployment to Pacific ports including Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to dispense English Mild Ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
to sailors. Her brew house, known as "Davy Jones
Davy Jones
Davy Jones may refer to:People:*Davy Jones , English actor and singer, formerly of the band The Monkees*Davy Jones , American*Davy Jones , American baseball player...
Brewery" was dismantled in 1946 and the ship was returned to her owners in 1948.
Post war
In 1945 they described themselves as brewers and general engineers, coppersmiths, vat and back makers, sheet metalSheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
workers, brass and ironfounders, showing the diversity of their work. The height came in 1961 when they had booming orders and employed 400 staff round the clock to meet demand. It was not to last as a combination of a High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
noise case and a lack of raw materials curtailed firstly the production of brewing tanks, then led to the company collapsing in November 1963. The brewery tank business moved to Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and the site was sold in 1965.
The foundry frontage, constructed of stone with brick window surrounds, is now known as The Mill or the Adlams Works on Parnall Road is now used as residential and Art, Media and Design company offices including the Rohan Music Studios and Intellect Publishers.