The Anderston Foundry at Port Clarence must have been something in it day, as can be seen from the design and sheer scale of the building. As with other pictures from 1969 this was taken from the Clarence railway embankment which over looks the river, just upstream of the Transporter. The name seems to be a slight corruption of what it should be called, the Anderston Foundry, the Port Clarence works being a branch of the original Glasgow company.
The map from 1938 shows the extensive sidings alongside the foundry, with an indication that the company had its own dock. I wonder if the size of the sidings suggest that this branch of Anderston’s was engaged in mass production of castings. Does anyone know what they were specialising in?
Photographs and details courtesy of Fred Starr.
Picture Stockton Archive 
They started out in Glasgow, but expanded here in 1874. They made lots of railway parts. There’s a fair bit of information about them on the Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History website – including some smashing posters for their ‘vertical gas engines’ and such like.
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hi, I was born in 1 Crossby Terrace next door to the Station Hotel, Port Clarance on the 10-11-1958-1987. I was at the launch of 2 ships the Derbyshire and Furnness from Haverton Hill ship yard
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Small nitpicking point but could records show name as ANDERSTONS in case people searching miss those wrongly naming forms as ANDERSONS missing out the T?
thanks
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I belong port Clarence. Brought up in Bell street looking on to the land side of Andersons. In about 1959/60 there was an explosion and the house roofs got damaged by rivets..at the time I believe there were moulding iron railway shoes which hold railway lines I place.
If you look at an earlier post about a dredger the building in the background is the one that blew up hence no roof.
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Great 1950’s pictures of Anderstons on the BFA site http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw032476
The building right next to the Transporter Bridge looks interesting, and you can see the wharf and railway sidings in great detail.
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Well done Fred. Another memory restored, I remember seeing this factory. but had no idea what it was.
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Fred, try Googling them. There is quite a lot about them. Apparently they made a vast range of stuff, too many to name here. Happy Googling.
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Brought up in Bell Street in Port Andersons were moulding railway shoes. Which hold railway lines in place in about 1958/59 there was an explosion and all the house roofs got damaged. There is an earlier post about a dredger on the tees in the background there is a building with no roof
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