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Summary

Iron foundry, circa 1848. In 1868, activities were transferred to the Mount Foundry on Parkwood Road, and the premises later became a coach building works. The one remaining building is listed Grade II.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1390645: BEDFORD IRON FOUNDRY

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX47SE/353
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 490994

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• IRON FOUNDRY (XIX - 1848 AD to 1868 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1855-1895, First Edition 1:500 Town Map (Cartographic). SDV338879.

'Iron Foundry (Disused) marked, and shown as two long rectangular buildings with a large square building at the south end and several smaller buildings, yards and a chimney at the north end on the west side. Map object based on this source.

The Tavistock and District Local History Society, 1994, About Tavistock: An Historical Introduction and Six Town Walks (Monograph). SDV354806.

The Bedford Iron Works, one of three foundries in Tavistock, was active between 1848 and 1866.

Greeves, T., 2003, Morris Bros, Lakeside Garage (Correspondence). SDV350413.

Bedford Iron Works, one of three great mid 19th century iron foundries in Tavistock. Operated between 1848 and 1866, 'manufacturing and exporting machinery for mining purposes to America and the colonies', as well as to local mines.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2004, Tavistock (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV345005.

Iron foundry. Circa 1848; probably on the site of an earlier foundry. Painted stone rubble. Slate roof with gabled ends and ridge ventilator. Truncated gable-end stacks and small brick axial stack.
Plan: Rectangular on plan; the lower south range is narrower.
Exterior: one and two storeys. Asymmetrical 4:8 bay west front. Left four bays project, vehicular entrance on left, blocked segmental arch carriageway at centre and two narrow round arch windows on right. Eight bays on right recessed under deep eaves ventilator, with four round arch windows and a taking-in door on right above three vehicular entrances, large blocked entrance on left and two tall round arch windows at centre. The windows have multi-pane cast-iron frames with Gothic tracery at top. Higher ground level at back with wide entrance at centre.
Interior: Inserted floors. Exposed tie-beam and queen-strut roof trusses.
Note: The Bedford Iron Foundry was leased from the Duke of Bedford by Thomas Nicholls, John Williams and Joseph Matthews in 1848. It was the most important iron foundry in Devon in the mid 19th century and made machinery for mines in Devon, Cornwall and abroad.

Duce, R., 2006, Lakeside (Former Bedford Foundry): Change of Use and Conversion to Residence (Correspondence). SDV356764.

Memo concerning an application for conversion of the building to residential, and the effect of inclusion of the building in the World Heritage Site bid, which encourages changes to the fabric which are hisorically corrective. See correspondence for full details.

Freeman, M., 2007, The Tavistock Foundries, Part 2. (Pamphlet). SDV345001.

In 1848 the Bedford Estate granted a lease of the foundry for 60 years from 1844, at £10 a year. A plan with the lease shows two casting sheds, a fitting and pattern shop, and a smithery, but does not mark the Fishlake, which ran through or under the yard, nor the water wheel. A later plan shows a brass foundry by the smithery, and a second wheel, which may have used water from a leat then running along the slope behind the foundry, although this is not explicit. During the mining boom of the mid-19th century, the Bedford was the most important foundry in Tavistock for the manufacture of machinery. By 1866 the market for copper declined due to foreign competition, and the demand for mining machinery fell. In 1868, activities were transferred to the Mount Foundry on Parkwood Road, and ironworking ceased at the Bedford premises, which later became a coach building works.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

The northern rectangular building survives, that to the south has been removed for residential development. Map object based on this source.

Waterhouse, R., 2017, The Tavistock Canal. Its History and Archaeology, 258, figs 8.6, 8.11-8.12 (Monograph). SDV361789.

Brief history of the foundry given, along with plan of the building layout.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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