Battersea - Industries

Battersea - Industries

A map of the main industrial area of Battersea

Battersea Enamel
A factory was set up by Steven Jansenn at York House, Battersea, in 1753 but closed in January 1756 when Jansenn went bankrupt. Many English enamels have been refered to as 'Battersea Enamel' even though most of them were produced elsewhere. York House (off York Road of course) was on the later site of Price's Candle Factory. The site has been excuvated.

Battersea Power Station The A station (with 2 chimneys) built from 1927 to 1935, and the B station (with the second 2 chimneys) between 1944 and 1945. The A station closed 1975 and the B station closed October 1983, now partly demolished. See Battersea Power Station Community Group. Built on the site of the former Southwark Water Company who in the 19th century took in sewage from here to supply water to Southwark - hence many deaths from cholera. The station was coal fired and supplied with coal by river. See Vauxhall Society web-site

Carsons Paints, Lombard Road Advertisment in Burkes Landed Gentry 1900

Decca - Was between the railway lines near Queens Town Road in a former depositary. The main building was curved to the shape of the railway behind, a radar antenna rotated on the roof. Closed down October 1980. The site has since had various incarnations as Abbey Business Centre, Imex Business Centre, etc. The building still stands and is now a Safestore Business Centre

C & J Field Ltd

Founded by Thomas Field of Lambeth before 1642. John Field was listed as a wax-chandler of Lambeth in 1768. The firm were listed as wax-chandler to the Prince Regent in 1820 and had a shop in Wigmore Street between about 1820 and 1861. The title of John, Charles & John Field was adopted about1830. Soap manufacture began in Lower Fore Sweet, Lambeth, in the mid-1840s and was moved to Bermondsey New Road in the late 1850s. The Bermondsey works closded in 1894. Nightlights were listed among the firm’s products in 1853 and candles were lised soon after. Its specialties were self-snuffing candles (‘fit any candlestick’) and ‘Ozokerit’ candles for tropical climates (1873). The ‘Ozokerit’ refining process was apparently the cornerstone of the candle business. The company was registered as J. C. & J. Field Ltd in 1887 and the final member of the Field family left the board soon afterwards. Land for a factory at Rainham, Essex, was obtained in 1903. The manufacture of household soap started in 1907. The firm ceased to describe themselves as wax-chandlers in 1912. In 1935 toilet preparations were taken up as a new line. The company moved from Lambeth Marsh to Wimbledon in 1941, then in 1954 to Amersham whene candles and soap dropped from its range. It later was acquired by E. Griffiths Hughes of Manchester which became part of Aspro-Nicholas Ltd and now, after further aqusitions and mergers, Bayer Healthcare..

Field's had a Battersea factory which was on the riverside between Battersea Bridge and Albert Bridge and can be seen on old Ordnance Survey maps as the "Ozokerit Works"

G. Foot & Co, acid manufacturers

Fry, Joseph - Joseph Fry (1728–1787), Quaker and son of a Wiltshire shopkeeper, famous as a chocolate manufacturer (Fry's have now been swallowed up by Cadburys), had amongst many other business interests a chemical works at Battersea in which he was assisted by one of his sons.

Gerhard's aluminium works from The Gutenberg Encyclopedia III. ELECTROLITIC ALKALI MANUFACTURE http://www.literaturemania.com/pge0112/page357.asp (The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia is a reproduction of a 1911 edition of a famous encyclopedia - I think the name of which is not mentioned as it might be protected by some trademark laws even though the text is out of copyright)
"In 1858 or 1859 a small factory, the first in England, was built by F. W. Gerhard at Battersea, who also employed cryolite, made his own sodium, and was able to sell the product at 3s. 9d. per oz. This enterprise only lasted about four years."

Lombard Road Power Station, I am endebted to Fred Hayman who once worked there for this information:-
The Lombard Road Power Station was situated in Lombard rd between Holman Rd and Gwynne Rd, The actual address was in Harroway Rd which ran parallel with Lombard Rd, The chimney was at the Holman Rd end of the power station. also there was a coal conveyor crossing the Lombard Rd to the jetty opposite.This conveyor fed the bunkers of the boiler house.

London & Provincial Laundry, Battersea Park Road
From the 1880s

Manbre & Garton
Originally Garton & Sons Ltd's factory, "Saccharum Works", in York Road. In 1926 Manbre Sugar & Malt bought Gartons to form Manbre & Gartons.Until the 1960s, the firm producing sugar used in jam and beer. In 1976 they were taken over by Tate & Lyle. A small book "A Hundred Years Of Progress, Manbre & Garton Limited, 1855-1955" has been produced

May & Baker
In 1834 John May, Joseph L. Pickett and Thomas S. Grimwade started a business for manufacturing chemicals for pharmaceuticals products known as Grimwade, May & Pickett at Battersea. Pickett died a year later and in 1839 when Grimwade left the partnership. May was joined by another chemist, William Garrard Baker. The new partnership was then called May and Baker. In December 1890, May & Baker was registered as a limited liability company, May & Baker Ltd.
May & Baker Limited became the subsidiary of a French company, Poulenc Freres, in the early years of the 20th century. Following the company’s acquisition by the French company May & Baker moved to Dagenham in April 1934.
A more detailed history of May & Baker in Battersea by courtesy of Tom Champagne.

Morgan Crucible Company "Plumbago Crucible Works", Church Road
Founded by the 5 Morgan brothers in 1856. A printed history "Battersea Works 1856-1956" is available on the secondhand book market and there is a summary history on line. Also traded as "Graphite Products Limited". Moved out of Battersea in the 1970s.
A more detailed history of the Morgan Crucible Works by courtesy of Tom Champagne.

New Covent Garden Market Construction of the new marked started 1971 on former railway yards and trading commenced 1974.

Nine Elms Gas Works, Nine Elms Road
The London Gas Light Company in 1858. Coal was supplied by flat-iron colliers. The gas works closed in 1970. The site is now occupied by a Royal Mail sorting depot and other industrial and storage units. Early maps show that the gas works were built on the site of a former tidal mill. See the Vauxhall Society web-site

Price's Candle Factory "Belmont Works (Candle and Soap)", York Road
Founded 1830 at Vauxhall, in York Road, Battersea, from 1843. A brief online history is online and a more detailed history, see also

Projectile & Engineering Company, off Stewart's Road.
The site is shown on a 1870 map as a Nail Factory but by the 1890s as a projectile factory. Bought out by GKN and closed 1964.

Quinine Works
1858 by Jacob Hulle and Thomas Whiffen in Whiffen's private house in Lombard Road, Battersea. Moved out in 1933. More details

Railways - to big a subject for this site, I presume a railway nurd (as opposed to a local history nurd) somewhere will deal with this (link please?).
Photos found on the web Stewarts Lane Depot - Clapham Junction
Wikipedia links: Clapham Junction, Queenstown Road, Battersea Park Station, the former Battersea Station, Wandsworth Common Station

Ritchie Lifts - James Ritchie & Sons, Lift Manufacturers- Advertising in "The Architects' Compendium and Catalogue"1925 - Had been trading since 1901 or earlier.

Rolls Razor were in Battersea until around 1927 - more info about Rolls Razor.

Sawmills
In the early 19th century Marc Isambard Brunel ran sawmills in Battersea.
Here is an artlcle on these sawmills by courtesy of Tom Champagne

Short Brothers
Oswald and Eustace Short had their works under a railway arch in Battersea. At that time they were making balloons although they later became an aircraft manufacturer. One of their ballon baskets is in the Science Museum. A short history of the company is on the web - And another history

Spiers & Ponds Laundry, Battersea Park Road
From 1879

Vauxhall & Southwark Water Works
Formerly on the site of Battersea Power Station

E. Wolff & Son Ltd, Falcon Pencil Works, Battersea
'FAMOUS OVER 100 YEARS', 'By Special Appoinment to His Majesty the King', 'Makers to H.M. Government and the Bank of England' - Manufacturers of Royal Sovereign Pencils plus Wolff's Chinese Ink and Lightning Pencil Eraser - so it says on the packet. A brief history of Wolff Pencils by Tom Champagne

Nearby Industry

Lotts Road Power Station

Construction 1902 to 1905 for The Metropolitan District Electric Traction Co. to provide power for the Metropolitan District Railway (now District Line). Originally coal fired but converted to oil fuel and later to gas with the standby oil firing it supplied power to the London Underground system.These conversions took place in the 1950-60s when 2 of its former 4 chimneys were demolished . Prior to its shutdown on 21 October 2002 it provided 60% of the Underground’s electricity requirement; after shutdown the underground became totally reliant on the national grid supply. Current plans for redevelopment A tour of Lots Road Power Station (1935)

Fulham Power Station, Townmead Road

Opened 1936 to design by G. E. Baker and Preece, Cardew and Rider. Coal supplied by river through Chelsea Creek.

see "Industries of Wandsworth", Wandsworth Libraries and Arts, 1983, a reprint of "The Industries of Wandsworth Past and Present" by CT Davis, 1898

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