Head Wrightsons foundry at Eaglescliffe as seen from the Hartburn Brick Pond side on 19 September 1978.
Photograph and details courtesy of Dave Summerfield.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Head Wrightsons foundry at Eaglescliffe as seen from the Hartburn Brick Pond side on 19 September 1978.
Photograph and details courtesy of Dave Summerfield.
I don’t ever remember the tall building in the backgroung at HW’s Eaglescliffe.
Is this the rear view of the foundry, previously owned by Heny Smith on the site behind the Eaglescliffe Hotel on Yarm Road, previously known as the Mill Field Iron Works (1864)? Later as the Eaglescliffe Iron Works and taken over by Head Wrightson in 1897. Thanks for any further info.
My dad worked at Head Wrightson Eaglescliffe for as long as I can remember. He was a foreman dresser, and left when it closed in the 1970’s.
I started work as a 15 year old at Head Wrightsons Eaglescliffe as an apprentice moulder. I think the foreman was Norman Rowntree, worked for a little while making test bars. It was boring but then worked with a smashing lad called Colin Castle who lived at the time on Albany Est, I worked with Cass on the gantry making Key Segments. Cass was just one of the nicest lads you could work with. One day we were emptying the moulds after casting and I got hot sand down my boot, it cost me several weeks on the sick and a nurse coming to mam & dads house to give me daily injections. Another great lad I got to know was Danny Booth, thought the world of Danny and Cass, Danny Booth sold me a 6ft tent with a built in ground sheet. The summer of 64 me and all my mates from Swainby and Danby rd went for a weeks camping at Seaton Snooks and had the week of our lives, thanks to Danny. In those days at the foundry segments were made all along the foundry floor gangs of rammers and usually two moulders putting the cores in, often wondered all these years later how Cass & Danny got on. I left Heads after a year and started my apprenticeship proper at J. Downings iron foundry in Railway St Stockton and it was just the greatest place to work, made lots of friends. Nearly all the foundries are gone now but hope some of the lads are still around. Please ask picturestockton for my email address if you know me.
Head Wrightsons foundry at Eaglescliffe as seen from the Hartburn Brick Pond side on 19 September 1978 – demolition of the foundry appears to be ongoing – the site is now occupied by Low Hartburn housing estate. My father lived in Northolt Street (beside the present Eaglescliffe pub)& remembers the foundry being closed prior to World War 2 but re-opening as part of the war effort. The train heading north through the Leeds Northern railway cutting is a diverted Doncaster to Edinbrough train hauled by English Electric Type 4 40108.
Northalt Street should read Northall Street, believed to have been built by Henry Smith Iron Founder, for some of his workers and named after his wife `s mother. One of Henrys sons also lived in Northall Street at some time