Soho Foundry

The Soho Foundry was a machine factory in Handsworth (part of Birmingham today ), which had been built by the entrepreneurs Matthew Boulton and James Watt for the production of steam engines.

The establishment of the factory took place in 1795, after Boulton and Watt since 1775 in a partnership Watts marketed steam engine and did not have enough by then usual production of parts by suppliers. Since Boulton's principal manufacturing base, the Soho Manufactory was not equipped for heavy work and installation of new machinery buildings on the site no longer out of the question were looking for a new, nearby production site. The terrain in Handsworth, which was finally selected was due to a newly constructed channel and thus enabled the simple delivery of even the heaviest machinery. For this purpose, a new branch canal was done on the premises, which is today but filled; only the bridge that crossed the bite on the canal bank, still exists and is available, as also the still existing main gate and the subsequent work of street with historic residential buildings for company employees, under monument protection. The construction of the necessary buildings was carried out swiftly after purchase of the land, so that the factory on January 30, 1796 was officially opened.

After 1800 ended both the patent protection of Watt's machine design as well as the partnership agreement of the company's founder, they handed over the company to their sons, Matthew Robinson Boulton and James Watt Jr. In its time the decision was the mandate given by the British Parliament monopoly for the construction of gas stations and street lighting that had the Scottish engineer William Murdoch, an employee of the company since 1777, designed to leave unused because you did not expect profits from this business. As it turned out after the end of the monopoly but this was a gross miscalculation. Since neither Murdoch nor the company had secured the patent on the invention they could not participate in the global business.

After the death of the sons of the company founder in 1848 the company went into possession of HW Blake on who changed the company name to James Watt & Co. In his aegis was the spectacular building of the sailing steam ship Great Eastern, for which the factory supplied the propeller.

The thriving operation in 1895 was sold to the company Avery Berkel, who transformed himself shortly afterwards in a corporation. Today weights for precision balances are made to parts of the premises. Some historic buildings, including the residence of Murdoch in 1817, are listed buildings; another area of the former factory site is used as a junkyard.

Trivia

Since the company premises are located on the former border between the small town of Handsworth and Smethwick the larger the factory is often perceived as being too Smethwick duly called. Officially, she was but part of the municipality of Handsworth, on whose grounds the access road, today's Foundry Lane is.