The Story of Walsall

Iron Foundries

Vast numbers of iron castings were produced in the Black Country by the many foundries that were a familiar sight in the area. Cupola furnaces formed an important part of the local landscape, and Walsall had its fair share of them.

An advert from 1861.

Pigot & Company’s National Commercial Directory published in 1828 lists six iron founders:

James Glover, Ablewell Street
John Glover, Birmingham Road
John James, Ablewell Street

Parks & Ottway, Goscote
Samuel Perks, Hall Lane
James Thornhill, Church Street

By 1851 there were 25 foundries, many of which were producing items for the local buckle, saddle, bridle, and horse furniture industries, but by the later part of the 19th century the items were more diverse.

In the 20th century the industry supplied castings to car, motorcycle, and bicycle manufacturers; to electrical engineering companies; to shipbuilders, and to industries of all kinds.

An advert from 1896.

One of the longest surviving foundries in Walsall was Chamberlin & Hill in Chuckery Road. The company was established in 1890, and like most of the local foundries must have produced a wide range of castings to order. The earliest known products are black money boxes.

Mr. Chamberlin and Mr. Hill's factory originally specialised in thin-section castings used for toy making, electrical switchgear and domestic hardware. A further foundry was set up in Lichfield in 1902 making larger castings for machine tools, mainly used in the textile trade.

Mr. Chamberlin and Mr. Hill had retired by 1912. During the First World War the factory produced munitions.

About this time the Bather family took an increasing stake in the business and completely took over in the 1920's, running the business until 1946 when it became a limited company.

Products then became food mincers and cast iron idlers for the coal and quarrying industries.

The offices at the heritage open day in September 2014.

In 1967 Chamberlin & Hill bought a foundry that made malleable castings in Bloxwich. In 1999 Russell Ductile Castings Limited of Scunthorpe was acquired, followed by Chamberlin & Hill Castings Limited of Leicester in 2004.

In 2005 the Bather family sold their share in the company, which in 2007 became Chamberlin plc.

The Walsall foundry then concentrated on precision castings up to 5kg in grey iron, to an extremely high specification, mainly for German car manufacturers. One of the specialities was housings for turbochargers used in diesel engines.

In its first 100 years, Chamberlin & Hill's turnover grew from £1,840 in 1890 to £20 million in 1990. In 2004/05 turnover was £42 million. Success continued until recent times when orders were few and far between.

The original office block and front entrance to the site in Chuckery Road.

The business was forced to pay over £1 million to five nearby residents who had decided to take legal action against the business for dust pollution.

Chamberlain and Hill ceased trading in May 2024 with the loss of 78 jobs in Walsall and 51 jobs in Scunthorpe.

The iron casting and machining firm, Castings PLC, based in Brownhills, bought the fixed assets and stock of Russell Ductile Castings Limited and demolition at the Walsall site began in April 2025. Little is now left of what was one of Walsall's most important foundries.

Scrap metal ready for the furnace.

The furnace building.

The cupola.

Filling a ladle in the factory.

Another view of a ladle being filled in the factory.

Part of the factory.

Roughly cleaning up new moulds.

Another part of the factory.

Moulds were accurately machined by caged robots.

Part of the line of robots.

Retrieving machined components from the robots' cages.

After machining, each finished component was extremely accurately measured using a computerised laser measuring machine.

The derelict office building in 2025.

It had been an unforgettable day visiting Chamberlin and Hill's Foundry at the heritage open day in September 2014. On that occasion it was impossible to imagine that in just under ten years it would all come to an end. In May 2024 Walsall lost an extremely important industrial asset.

Luckily other foundries still operate in the town, including
H. Goodwin (Castings) Limited of Stafford Street, founded by Mr. Goodwin in 1919.

The malleable and grey iron foundry produces engineering castings in malleable, ductile, aluminium and grey iron for a wide range of industries.

An advert from 1935.

The foundry has two 350kg and one 200kg Inductatherm medium frequency induction melting furnaces, and offers pattern design, and prototype manufacturing facilities.

A relatively recent company is Majorfax Limited, in Charles Street. It was established in 1984 and supplies castings in grey and ductile iron, carbon and stainless steel, aluminium, and brass.

Another foundry is J. W. Bonser (Walsall) Limited in Albert Street. The firm manufactures high pressure zinc die-castings, and has comprehensive machining, finishing, polishing, chrome plating, gold plating and powder coating facilities. Finished products include bathroom fittings.

An advert from 1974.

An advert from 1935.

Castings Limited in Selborne Street, Walsall were a long-established business, which opened around 1850.

The firm produced high quality castings in whiteheart and blackheart malleable iron. Customers included car manufacturers, motorcycle manufacturers, trailer manufacturers, agricultural machinery manufacturers, and general engineering companies.

The firm also produced iron castings with special properties such as high strength and good shock resistance that were suitable for flame hardening or arc welding.

A corner of the laboratory at Castings Limited.

A corner of Castings Limited's foundry.

The firm specialised in the latest types of annealing to ensure consistent physical properties of castings.

During the process the temperature was controlled by a continuous temperature recorder, and test samples were examined under a microscope.

All raw materials had to meet an exacting specification, and were checked in the laboratory.

The latest rotary furnaces were used to produce the iron. which was cast in power moulding machines.

After annealing, the castings were shot-blasted using airless centrifugal machines, so that they were absolutely free from sand, and suitable for enamelling.

The Selborne Street factory is now occupied by Presco Components Limited.

Another view of Castings Limited's foundry.

An advert from 1954.

Another well-known Walsall ironfounder was Sydenham & McOustra Limited which started at Beacon Foundry, Beacon Street, Walsall in about 1900. The firm specialised in light castings for electrical engineering companies, and the textile trade. The foundry was slightly unusual in that as well as producing a range of castings for its customers, it also produced a range of finished goods including small carpenter's tools, adhesive and tape dispensers, toys, and money boxes. The up-to-date factory included a rest room, and shower baths for the employees.

An advert from 1954.

Non-Ferrous foundries

Many of the non-ferrous foundries in the town produced horse furniture, particularly after the introduction of nickel casting. They supplied the local bit makers, stirrup makers, harness furniture makers, and horse brass makers.

An advert from 1896.

An advert from 1865.

An advert from 1896.

An advert from 1904.

An advert from 1926.

An advert from 1953.

Pigot’s Staffordshire Directory of 1842 lists 23 brass foundries, and 16 brass and iron casters, many supplying the 41 stirrup makers, 22 spur makers, 5 spur rowel makers, and 122 bridle bit makers that were in the town at the time.

By 1935 (Walsall Red Book and Directory) the numbers had reduced. There were 18 brass and nickel silver foundries, and 11 bridle bit makers, 11 stirrup makers, 10 spur makers, and 1 spur rowel maker.

Some of the horse furniture makers diversified into other areas, eventually abandoning horse-based products. Joseph Withers & Sons Limited originally made harnesses, but in the 1930s began to produce non-ferrous castings and fittings for holloware, bathrooms, and cars.

J. & J. Wiggin Limited began making bridle bits in Bloxwich, and later turned to stainless steel tableware.

An advert from 1935.

Another foundry is Lowe Brass, based in Clarendon Street, Bloxwich.

The firm was established in 1965 and produces brass name plates, rally plaques, vintage car plaques, canal and boat makers plaques, horse brasses, paper weights, door knockers etc.

An advert from 1935.

An advert from 1974.

An advert from 1974.

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