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Summary

Former location of a late 19th century joiner's workshop, contributing to First and Second World War manufacture particularly gliders, greatly expanded in the mid 20th century and demolished by the late 20th century

Monument Type(s):

• JOINERS SHOP (Late 19th century to Late 20th century - 1899 AD (pre) to 1974 AD (pre))
• MUNITIONS FACTORY (First World War - 1914 AD? to 1918 AD)
• FURNITURE FACTORY (Early 20th century to Late 20th century - 1919 AD to 1974 AD)
• AIRCRAFT FACTORY (Second World War to Mid 20th century - 1939 AD? to 1965 AD)

Full Description

The OS Second edition map of 1899 <1> shows a Moulding and Joinery Works at the western end of Albert Road. This is shown on later historic mapping, and by the Fourth edition of 1933-4 <2> has grown in extent to several buildings (including one under construction) now labelled 'Albert Works (Cabinet)'. The works are still present on the 6th Epoch OS 1:1250 map of 1972 <3>, covering an area of c 16,000 square metres, but several applications in the late 1970s sought to redevelop the site. A planning application for an office development, including car parking, roads and landscaping was approved in 1981 <10> and the works were demolished and replaced by the Bayer headquarters building and its multi-storey carpark.

An aerial photograph from 1937 <4> shows the works on the right of the photograph, as a number of pitched-roofed industrial units, mostly single storey with one two storey.

The Albert Steam Joinery and Moulding Mills was established in c 1875 by Samuel Elliott, who had been a speculative builder in Newbury in the 1860s <5>. The factory produced high quality doors and joinery for many Victorian buildings including Manchester Town Hall, and within the local area supplied the woodwork panelling for Greenham Lodge. Along with the engineering firm of Plenty's, the Albert Works employed a large number of people in Newbury, giving the town a 'manufacturing air' according to local historian Walter Money <6>. In 1896 Elliott's Joinery and Moulding Company Ltd took over the works, though by 1904 Samuel Elliott was no longer manager. During the First World War Elliott's largely female workforce manufactured ammunition cases; by 1919 furniture manufacture had replaced joinery, but in the Second World War the factory concentrated on aircraft components, including the Horsa gliders used in the D Day landings <5><8>. West Berkshire Museum has several items relating to Elliott's, including a photo of works in front of a glider section <7>. The company continued with aircraft production until the 1960s though also resumed making furniture until it closed in 1974.

Before development of the site took place, one of the former Elliott's buildings was used to house the country's first indoor and first all wooden skatepark, Wheelies, in c. 1977-79 <9>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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