105-553: The Bowling Iron Works was an iron working complex established around 1780 in the district of East Bowling part of the township and manor of Bowling , now in the southeast of Bradford in Yorkshire, England. The operation included mining coal and iron ore, smelting, refining, casting and forging to create finished products. Iron is said to have been worked in the vicinity of Bradford in Roman times. The monks of Rievaulx Abbey to
210-442: A .. difficulty .. namely, that no published record previously existed upon which to base our efforts". It is the main source of information for this section. The township contained 1561 acres. The total acreage of the borough of Bradford at that time was 10,776. Cudworth describes the small becks which drain the area (see Map 1) noting that some do not have definite names. John James in his history of Bradford (1841) has to refer to "
315-567: A London and York Railway was submitted to the 1845 session of Parliament. There were 224 railway bills in that session, and the Board of Trade was instructed to set up a committee to assess groups of proposed lines; the committee became known as the Five Kings. When the London and York Railway scheme came before the parliamentary committees, Hudson set up such a protracted series of objections that
420-633: A broad commercial and financial base upon which to build a new industrial economy in the years after 1800". For centuries Bradford coal had been mined on a small scale for local consumption. The trigger for expansion was the opening of the Bradford Canal in 1774. With its link to the Leeds and Liverpool canal this opened up markets for coal in Craven and the Aire valley. Abraham Balm, principle proponent of
525-427: A failed scheme. At this time George Hudson , a railway financier, was exceptionally skilled in promoting railways and having them built, and most particularly of neutralising or destroying any opposition or competition to his lines. His methods were not always respectable. Some promoters wanted to build a railway from London to York, and after much negotiation with promoters of other lines that might connect or compete,
630-546: A junction with the Great North of England Railway, just south of York Station. Also included in the act was a loop from Werrington Junction, north of Peterborough, via Spalding to Boston, Lincoln to Gainsborough and back on to the main line at Bawtry. Land acquisition proved to be difficult; in particular, the King's Cross site was occupied by a smallpox hospital. The freeholder demanded an impossibly large price to vacate, and
735-578: A nameless beck arising to the west of Dudley Hill" - which is shown in Map 3 contributing water to the Lady Well Pool. This, Bowling Beck and Law Beck (also known as Claw Beck and Low Beck) had leets which sent their water to the Bowling (manorial) corn Mills - which were nevertheless often stopped by shortage of water. In the north, Bowling came within a few hundred yards of the centre of Bradford. This
840-461: A new partnership was created with the name of Bowling Iron Co., confirmed by act of parliament in August 1849. The company was incorporated and registered in 1870. An 1891 description said the ironworks lay in, a sort of deep horseshoe valley, the banks which surround it consisting chiefly of shale and cinders, the accumulations of a century's workings. The whole area, enclosed by a high stone wall,
945-402: A nuisance by the emission of smoke. All owners of engines etc. are to construct fireplaces thereof in such a manner as most effectually to destroy and consume the smoke arising therefrom." However, little was done to enforce the laws. There was a general feeling that the factories provided work, so should not be pushed too hard to reduce pollution. An 1841 account said, "The condition of Bradford
1050-404: A number of reasons, not all connected with railways, there was a massive slump in the following year, and investment money, especially for railway projects already authorised, became almost impossible to get. The Great Northern Railway directors had a dauntingly large railway network to build, and they had to prioritise the parts of their authorised network which they would start to construct. In
1155-744: A problem. In 1863 the BW&;LR changed its title to the West Yorkshire Railway, and in that year both it and the LB&;HJR agreed to be absorbed by the GNR; this was authorised by an act of Parliament in 1865. The GNR was therefore able to consolidate a substantial network in West Yorkshire, bringing Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford and Halifax into its area of influence. However, trains from Doncaster still had to rely on running powers over
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#17327910579591260-419: A roughly triangular area with its southern apex near Croft Street about 350m from the city centre. Wakefield Road is its main thoroughfare. East Bowling is now a part of the Bowling and Barkerend ward. William Cudworth published his "History of Bowling" in 1891. The opening sentence sets out his difficulty. "In attempting an historical and topographical sketch of the township of Bowling, we are confronted with
1365-524: A separate terminal at London Road, Nottingham. This opened on 3 October 1857. The GNR leased the Ambergate company from 1 August 1861. On 14 October 1852 King's Cross station was at last brought into use, and the Maiden Lane temporary station was closed. King's Cross had two large sheds, familiar to the present day, but only two passenger platforms, the later platforms 1 and 8. The intervening space
1470-495: A temporary station at Grantham . It now connected into the GNR at Grantham, opening the connection on 2 August 1852; it was worked by the GNR. The Ambergate company relied on running powers into the Midland Railway station at Nottingham, but there were considerable disputes about the matter for many years, and the GNR had difficulty in getting access. To resolve the situation the Ambergate company built its own line into
1575-459: A ward of the newly created Borough of Bradford in 1847. In 1882 the ward was split into the wards of East and West Bowling. In the north the boundary was along the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. To the south it was along Hall Lane and Bolling Hall Lane. The southern/southeastern boundary follows Rooley Lane and Sticker Lane. The northern boundary follows Bowling Back Lane. East Bowling forms
1680-485: A worker at the Bowling Iron Works: "Work is very hard; sleeps well sometimes, sometimes is very ill tired and cannot sleep so weel [sic]." An 1847 report noted that there was considerable temptation to employ boys in the mines when they were below the legal age, then ten years of age. "Managers, &c., of mines, complain that the work required of boys in seams of coal not more than 18 inches to two feet thick,
1785-530: Is built in the Lancet-Gothic style and is 111 by 60 feet (34 by 18 m) in size, with a 130 feet (40 m) spire. The church was the first to be built in England of iron and stone, with only the rafters made of wood. In April 1847 St. John's school in Bowling was visited. The Bowling Iron company had erected the building, but did not contribute much to its expenses. There were on average 150 children at
1890-434: Is deficient in means of communication between east and West Bowling. The map of 1757 "shows Rooley Lane to be the only highway or road from one part of Bowling to the other." This remains true in 2014. Rooley Lane was part of the turnpike road from Leeds to Halifax. It was of little use to residents of Bowling. It was one of four turnpike Roads through Bowling All were built in the early 18th century - and were subsequently
1995-501: Is done at a disadvantage, unless they are brought to it from their earliest years." In 1875 there was an explosion in the Bowling Iron Company's Crosses Pit mine, where 40 men and boys were working. Four ironstone getters and hurriers were killed, and others injured. The cause seems to have been accidental ignition of gunpowder being used to break up large pieces of scale that contained the ironstone. A select committee of
2100-465: Is dreadful. Lowmoor iron-forges most extensively spread their suffocating exhalations on the one side ... On the other side, Bowling Iron Hell (for it is one truly) casts a still denser atmosphere and sulphurous stench..." The Bowling Iron Company was fined on 12 December 1874, but only for £5 with £9. 10s. costs for ten offences. The population suffered high levels of respiratory diseases, peaking in 1890 during an influenza epidemic. The method of paying
2205-500: Is free of sulfur, making it ideal for furnaces used in smelting, puddling and forging. The Black Bed coal, nearer to the surface, could be sold or used for firing boilers and other purposes. Mining began in Jeremiah Rawson's estate, then extended into nearby estates as the deposits became exhausted, always mining the same beds of minerals. In 1794 the company purchased from Sir Francis Wood (owner of Bowling Hall and Lord of
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#17327910579592310-686: Is located on Usher Street, near to the junction of Wakefield Road. Pictures of East Bowling East Bowling lies approximately 1 mile north-east from the end of the M606 motorway. Public Transport is provided by the 635 TLC Transport service to and from Bradford Interchange , also connecting with Morrisons Supermarket, Mayo Avenue (BD5), and in the evenings, First Bradford service 621 to Haworth Road via Bradford City Centre. 53°46′35″N 1°44′24″W / 53.77639°N 1.74000°W / 53.77639; -1.74000 Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) The Great Northern Railway (GNR)
2415-413: Is no need, whatever, that they should go to a public house to divide it, but I believe their practice, too often, is to do so. I have been anxious to put an end to it, by providing them with a convenient room near the collieries, where practicable; but they are scattered and distant. The company built St. John's Church, Bowling, at its own expense of £5,000. The church was consecrated on 8 February 1842. It
2520-527: Is somewhat more than a mile and a half round. Looking from the counting-house at the entrance, on the right is a large waste space, with the steaming lake and cinder hills behind. At night, when live scoria and ashes glow from the sides of the latter, and the lake is lighted up by vivid and fitful gleams emitted from the blast furnaces, the scene is strange and weird-like ... one might almost fancy himself in immediate proximity to an active volcano. The plant at that time included blast furnaces and refineries used in
2625-681: The North Eastern Railway and the North British Railway so as to offer seamless travel facilities. The main line railways of Great Britain were "grouped" following the Railways Act 1921 into one or other of four new larger concerns. The Great Northern Railway was a constituent of the London and North Eastern Railway , which took control at the beginning of 1923. Although many local lines have been closed, much of
2730-653: The "Bradford Avoiding Line" was built by the GNR to link its Leed-Bradford railway via a junction at Hammerton Street to the L&;YR line to the south of Bowling Tunnel . Later that year the Bowling Ironworks opened an extensive set of standard gauge private lines and sidings with a junction to the "Avoiding Line" at Bowling Bridge station, making the works much less dependent on its tramways and canal transport. From about 1850 reserves in Bowling were becoming exhausted and some landholdings were sold off. This process
2835-543: The 8 wards of the newly created Municipal Borough of Bradford. In 1881 Bowling ward was divided into East and West Bowling wards. The ward boundary in the north was the Bowling Beck but in the south was Bolling Hall Road. Colloquial usage still recognised, and still does recognise, the traditional boundary described by Cudworth rather than the administrative boundary of 1881. "The township is well furnished with roads leading from Bradford and passing from north to south but
2940-500: The BW&LR, on 10 October 1857, the LB&HJR opened a direct line from Ardsley on the BW&LR to Laisterdyke, near Bradford. This was an extension of its Gildersome mineral line; although steeply graded this formed an additional through route for GNR trains. Both the LB&HJR and the BW&LR constructed (or obtained approval to construct) some branches within their area of influence. There were branches to Batley, opened by each company separately in 1864. Perhaps more significant
3045-600: The Bowling Iron Works. In February 1816 he sold all his remaining landholdings and mineral rights in Bowling and Bradford to the iron works. In 1821 the ironworks also bought the lordship of the manor with the manorial lands and mineral rights. The Ironworks thus became the dominant landowner in East Bowling - owning nearly all of it - and the major landowner in West Bowling. Throughout the 19th century
3150-468: The Bowling Iron works. He subsequently leased mining rights on other parts of his estate. In 1801 mining activity had encroached on his house of Bolling Hall and disliking the despoiled landscape he decided to move to another of his houses at Hemsworth, leaving his Bradford affairs in the hands of Isaac Wells. From 1803 most of the mineral rights of Sir Francis's estates were leased or sold piecemeal to
3255-547: The Bradford Waterworks company (purchased by the Borough Council in 1854) could only provide a very intermittent supply of about 0.5 million gallons per day. In 1854, the dye works, like the ironworks built its own standard gauge internal private railway with a junction with the GNR near Hall Lane. In addition to scattering the landscape with spoil heaps and rendering the ground too unstable for building
Bowling Iron Works - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-463: The Bradford ironworks produced 4,390 tons of Yorkshire's 21,984 tons of pig iron. At the peak of Bradford's coal output in 1866 its forty six collieries produced 1,875,000 tons of coal or twenty per cent of the Yorkshire output of 9,714.000 tons. Thus the economic development of these important and interdependent mineral resources, linked with the advance of cheap water transport, provided Bradford with
3465-619: The Cutler Heights area. Most land in East Bowling is either in commercial or industrial use A significant area on Lower Lane is unused brownfield land : it was originally used by the Bowling Iron Works as a slag and cinder tip. Bowling Park and the adjacent "green area" of allotments and sports fields are mostly in East Bowling but the Park also has a main gate to New Cross Street - easily accessible to East Bowling residents. In
3570-531: The GNR and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Now at last the GNR had the line it sought. On 1 January 1847 the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway came into existence by the merger of some smaller lines. The GNR had been granted running powers from Retford to Sheffield and in 1850 it informed the MS&;LR that it was to run passenger trains from Lincoln from 7 August 1849. The GNR
3675-530: The GNR got access to Bradford and Halifax. Another independent railway, the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway opened its line between Wakefield (the present-day Kirkgate station) and junctions near Leeds, on 3 October 1857. The GNR and the L&YR had running powers over the new line, and this enabled the Great Northern Company to route its Doncaster to Leeds trains by this route, using
3780-403: The GNR opened a new locomotive works at Doncaster in 1853, replacing earlier facilities at Boston. The authorised network of the GNR had included the line from Doncaster to York. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was building from Knottingley to a junction at Askern, near the present-day Shaftholme Junction north of Doncaster, and mutual running powers had been agreed. The line was opened to
3885-683: The Great Northern had just obtained power to run its trains to Wakefield and to Methley on the way to Leeds. The directors decided to build the Loop Line first, as that was the easiest to complete in order to start earning income. The first portion of the Great Northern Railway was opened on 1 March 1848. It was actually on the leased East Lincolnshire Railway line, from Great Grimsby to Louth . Five trains ran each way every weekday, and on from Grimsby to New Holland on
3990-470: The House of Commons in 1877 heard that in West Yorkshire, including the Bowling Iron Works, the colliers employed boys as assistants, rather the boys being employed by the company, although the boys had their names entered and were subject to the colliery rules. At that time Bowling employed about 2,000 workmen in the collieries, and it was estimated that about two men died each year. Accident rates were higher in
4095-459: The L&YR from Askern to Wakefield. The junctions near Leeds were with the LB&HJR at Wortley, forming a triangle and enabling through running towards either Leeds or Bradford. This development allowed the GNR to avoid using the hostile Midland Railway track at all, and allowed a direct entry to Leeds Central station, avoiding the awkward reversal on the Thirsk line. A week after the opening of
4200-403: The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (between Askern Junction and Methley), and the Midland Railway (between Methley and Leeds). On reaching Leeds the trains ran forward onto the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, and then reversed into the central station at Leeds. The South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway opened its line from Doncaster to Barnsley on 1 January 1851. The GNR had running powers over
4305-525: The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway between Askern Junction and Wakefield. The solution was on the horizon, when the West Riding and Grimsby Railway opened its line between Wakefield and Doncaster. It was to make an eastward branch to Thorne, justifying the Grimsby reference in its title. It opened its line on 1 February 1866 and on the same day the hitherto independent concern became the joint property of
Bowling Iron Works - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-557: The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway". The distinction long predated the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, opened 1850. The traditional line of demarcation was probably the Bowling Beck and its tributary beck which arose in The Roughs, as shown on maps 1 and 4. This was close to the railway and also the route of the coal tramway from the Burras engine to Britannia Mills staithes, (shown on map 2) opened c 1840. In 1847 Bowling became one of
4515-416: The Loop Line via Lincoln at the expense of the so-called Towns Line, the direct line from Peterborough to Doncaster. When this work was pressed forward, a number of difficulties presented themselves, including failure of a contractor. However, the line opened for goods traffic on 15 July 1852, and for passengers on 1 August 1851. The Towns Line ran from Werrington Junction north of Peterborough to Retford, where
4620-734: The Lordship of the Manor. The same seams of ironstone and coal were exploited by the Low Moor Iron Company , founded in 1788, and then by the Bierley Iron Company from around 1810. The first foundry was established at Bowling around 1784 by a group of businessmen including John Sturges, an ironmaster with works at Wakefield , and Richard Paley (1746-1808), an iron merchant of Leeds . The other partners were John Sturges junior, William Sturges and John Ewell. Ewell left
4725-688: The Low Moor works. As late as 1792 pig iron was delivered to Wakefield and wrought iron received in exchange. In 1804 the partnership was extended, bringing in George Paley (1779-1865) and John Green Paley (1774-1860) - respectively the son and nephew of Richard Paley - plus Thomas Mason and the Reverend John Simons. The Bowling works were selling large quantities of guns, shot and shells to the British government before 1790. Cast iron
4830-546: The MS&LR connected by a spur, known as the Lincoln Curve. There were flat crossings at Newark with the Midland Railway and at Retford with the MS&LR main line. A south to west curve was laid in at Retford, enabling a GNR service to Sheffield. The Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway had been formed to connect the manufacturing districts of Manchester with the port of Boston, and had opened in 1850 between Colwick Junction, near Nottingham, and
4935-518: The Manor) the rights to 90 acres of coal and iron stone in Hall Lane, Broomfields . In 1806 the company purchased additional mineral rights to parts of Sir Francis' Bowling Hall estate. The rights to other land was purchased in later years, often after extensive negotiation. In 1816 the company purchased from Sir Francis all his remaining lands and mineral rights in Bowling and in 1821 purchased from him
5040-581: The River Humber , by alliance with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway . This was followed by the opening from Louth to Firsby on 3 September 1848. On 2 October 1848, the line was opened from Firsby to a temporary station at Boston. The GNR opened a section of its own line from Stockbridge and Askern , and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway opened from Knottingley . There
5145-734: The Royston and Hitchin Railway, the East Lincolnshire Railway (Boston to Great Grimsby; both authorised, but neither yet built) and the Boston, Stamford and Birmingham Railway (never built). It also took about a third-of-a-million-pounds-worth of shares in the South Yorkshire Railway . 1846 was a peak year for railway scheme authorisations, fuelled by the feverish hunt for quick riches in railway shares. For
5250-536: The St Leger race meeting. It was a priority for the GNR to get access to the great manufacturing towns of West Yorkshire, to which it had been denied its own connection in Parliament. Leeds was the first to be reached. A Central station at Leeds was authorised on 22 July 1848. It was joint with three other companies, and GNR trains first reached it on 1 October 1848. GNR trains ran from Doncaster to Leeds over
5355-458: The canal and a major shareholder, owned coal mines in Bowling. By return limestone was transported to Bradford from Skipton, where a branch canal provided a link to the limestone quarries. The limestone was burned and used to improve the poor soils of the district. The trigger for the exploitation of ironstone deposits was knowledge of the use of coke for iron smelting. From the 1780s ironworks were founded in and around Bradford. The Birkinshaw works
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#17327910579595460-463: The centre of East Bowling is Bowling Park with its fossil tree, and the nearby Bolling Hall museum. Bowling Cemetery is situated to the south on the ring road. Bradford Academy is an academy located on Bowling Hall Road outside the eastern boundary of Bowling Park. The academy has up to 2,000 students. Churches of several faiths fall within the area. These include St John's Anglican , and New Hey Road Methodist . St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church
5565-434: The company was already considerable, and a further million of money was authorised by an act of 1853. Another demand on financial resources was willingly undertaken: the installation of the electric telegraph, at first at the southern end of the system. It was soon used for signalling trains through the tunnel sections, and by 1856 it was used throughout as far north as Hitchin. Reflecting the anticipated focus of operations,
5670-571: The east were working iron on land owned by their monastery in 1150, and forgemen are mentioned in 1358. Surface coal was being extracted from outcrops and shallow pits by 1360, and coal mines were worked by 1502. The Bowling Ironworks were established in the 1780s to smelt and forge iron from the Black Bed ironstone deposits using coal from the Better Bed seam, both of which lay under the site. The ironstone yields about 32% iron. The Better Bed coal
5775-444: The first coils he used were Bowling iron. Bowling iron, or Best Yorkshire, became well known around the world. Steam hammers were installed at the Bowling Ironworks where the steam cylinder was bolted to the back of the hammer, thus reducing the height of the machine. These were designed by John Charles Pearce, who took out a patent for his steam hammer design several years before James Nasmyth 's patent expired. On 14 November 1848
5880-490: The first stages of iron manufacture, puddling and ball furnaces with high brick or iron chimneys, a shed housing the steam hammers, steelworks, a large machine shop, boiler works, a large foundry and other workshops and buildings. A narrow gauge railway was used to move material within the works, and a line to the Great Northern Railway was used to ship the products. A network of tramways brought minerals from
5985-426: The freehold of the site, about 100 acres of land surrounding it (later expanded to 130 acres) and the pumping shafts of several former collieries. The pumping shafts provided a constant supply of high quality soft water to the dye works of 1.25million gallons per day with a surplus of about 0.6 million gallons per day which was distributed via Ripley's water works to domestic and other industrial consumers. At that date
6090-535: The good fortune to enter production at the right time. From 1793 the French wars produced an insatiable government demand for iron and armaments. In 1787 John Sturges and partners acquired the East Bowling estates of Benjamin Rawson. By 1790 they had constructed and brought the Bowling Iron Works into production and were seeking to gain access to additional mineral reserves outside the works boundaries. The first tramway
6195-429: The iron works, despite employment being lower. Boys were employed in various capacities in the ironworks, such as wheeling hot lumps of puddled iron to the hammers. Notes Citations Sources East Bowling East Bowling is an area of Bradford , West Yorkshire , England located to the south of Bradford city centre. It forms the eastern half of the historic township and manor of Bowling. Bowling became
6300-432: The ironworks expanded its mining operations - and in the process developed an extensive network of tramways and narrow gauge railways from its mines to the iron works and also to staithes in Bradford. (see map 2) From 1850 these were extended across the watershed to access to reserves to the south of Bradford. The ironworks eventually had collieries as far south as Gomersal and Cleckheaton and over 20 miles of tramway. In 1854
6405-519: The ironworks had a disastrous effect on the atmosphere. A constant pall of smoke and foul smelling fumes hung over the works and surrounding area "The Bowling Hell" with a high incidence of respiratory diseases. Within the works a huge smoking spoil heap "the Bowling Coke Hill" grew continuously until the ironworks ceased production in 1906. It continued to burn and smoke for many years. It towered nearly 250feet above Wakefield Road and dwarfed
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#17327910579596510-494: The junction and used the MS&LR station at Gainsborough. A junction was made with the MS&LR line at Durham Ox Junction, Lincoln, some time after 3 April 1848, and sanctioned by Parliament retrospectively. The direct line between Peterborough and Doncaster was known as the Towns Line. The first part of it was opened between the MS&LR station at Retford and Doncaster on 4 September 1849. A proper station at Doncaster
6615-436: The line, and started running passenger trains to Barnsley, and mineral trains to and from Horbury. On 1 August 1854, the independent Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway (LB&HJR) opened its line between Leeds and Bowling Junction, close to Bradford, where it made a connection with the L&YR. The LB&HJR had running powers over the L&YR to Halifax, and the GNR were granted running powers over this line, so
6720-477: The locations of these sites. East Bowling is ethnically diverse, with a White British majority, and a significant British Pakistani minority. Most of the 19th century and earlier housing of East Bowling was demolished under the 1951 "Bradford Development Plan". The existing housing stock in the area is mainly late Victorian and early 20th century Terrace houses, built between 1895 and 1914, with some more modern houses. Most of these houses are concentrated in
6825-566: The matter had to go before a jury. This, and the subsequent removal of the hospital to new premises, would incur a huge delay. The GNR board decided to make a temporary London terminal at Maiden Lane . The company undertook some extraordinary commitments at this time. It arranged to purchase the Stamford and Spalding Railway; this would form a loop from north of Peterborough back on to the GNR Loop Line near Crowland ; and leases at 6% of
6930-472: The men led them into temptation of intemperance and extravagance: According to H. Hartopp, manager of the Bowling Works, All our colliers and miners are in our direct employ, without the intervention of contractors. They appoint one of their number, the head man in the pit, to come to the office every week to receive the money. It is given to him in sovereigns and silver, perhaps 20 l . or 30 l .. There
7035-468: The nearby St John's church. In the second world war an anti aircraft bunker was built on its summit. It was not cleared until the late 1950s when Hepworth and Grandages acquired the site and levelled it to expand their engineering works. The iron works also used the area north of Lower Lane as additional tipping space; eventually it was covered by a plateau of slag and clinker about 50 feet deep. Clearance for re-development has only recently started. Map 4 shows
7140-413: The network is active today. In 1836, a railway to be called the Great Northern Railway was proposed. It was to run from Whitechapel in east London via Cambridge and Lincoln to York. However, this was a stupendously ambitious project for such an early date, and Parliament turned it down. By 1844 there was only one trunk railway from London to the north of England: the London and Birmingham Railway
7245-480: The outset the Great Northern Railway had been anxious to acquire local railways or at least make arrangements with them, in order to expand the company's territory. In 1852 the shareholders expressed their displeasure at the volume of financial commitments implied by these, but the Chairman Edmund Denison continued his policy, without showing his hand. The company had prioritised construction of
7350-460: The parks of Bowling Hall the land was divided into small walled closes in pastoral use, a pattern which had prevailed since ancient times. There was no common land in Bowling, and there had never been an enclosure act. Referring to John Smith's estate map of 1776 Cudworth notes that Bowling was almost devoid of trees (apart from some new planting around Bolling Hall) although place names such as Oaks Fold, Oaks Lane, The Parks, Coppice etc. suggested it
7455-403: The partnership in 1792. The company took the name of John Sturges & Company. Iron was brought to the foundry from Wakefield in the early years. The first products were items for domestic use such as laundry irons, ovens, boilers, window sash weights and clock weights. The smelting plant was established in 1788, producing pig iron that was used in the boiler plates for the first steam engine at
7560-593: The pits to the works, with wagons pulled by wire ropes powered by stationary engines. Four large pumps were being used to keep the mines dry, with some of the water used in the ironworks. The Bowling Iron Company went into liquidation in 1898. In 1903 the company was reorganized as The Bowling Iron Company. It was liquidated in 1921. By 1840 Bradford was known for having some of the most smoke-filled air in Britain. As early as 1803 an act had stated that, "Engine chimneys are to be erected of sufficient height as not to create
7665-432: The project ran out of parliamentary time in that session. The London and York Railway scheme was submitted to the 1846 session of Parliament; some other schemes for railways to the north had by now fallen by the wayside, and their supporters joined the London and York project; reflecting that, the proposed company name was altered to the Great Northern Railway . George Hudson continued to use his dubious methods to frustrate
7770-537: The public on 6 June 1848, between Knottingley and Askern. This was extended on 7 June 1848 over the GNR to Stockbridge, a place on the Bentley Road between Askern and Doncaster. The GNR stretch amounted to 2 miles 45 chains. Stockbridge was later renamed Arksey. The GNR further extended southwards to a temporary station immediately north of the River Don at Doncaster; it opened on the following 5 August in time for
7875-481: The relatively small area between Wakefield Road and Bowling Hall Road and between Paley Road in the north and Lister Avenue in the south. The area was developed at a time when the city was thriving and it was a quite well-to-do part of Bradford. In recent years East Bowling has become rather run-down. There are smaller but more recently built concentrations of houses in two other areas; between Fenby Avenue and Wakefield Road and between Broad Lane and Wellington Street in
7980-491: The scene of protests and riots and breaking down of toll bars. The turnpike roads helped establish Bradford's position as a centre of the textile trades- The Bradford Piece Hall was built in 1770 - but they had little impact on life in Bowling. On the eve of the industrial revolution this still followed a centuries-old pattern of small pastoral farmers supplementing their earnings by home handloom weaving and wool combing and small scale coal mining. Most were tenants. Land ownership
8085-507: The scheme, but on 26 June the Great Northern Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. lxxi) was given royal assent . Numerous branches earlier proposed had been deleted, but the main line was approved. Authorised capital was £5.6 million. The company had spent £590,355 on parliamentary expenses. The authorised line was from London ("Pentonville") via Huntingdon, Peterborough, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster and Selby to
8190-445: The school, of whom 12 were factory workers. Only seven children had reached aged 13. The schoolroom had poor lighting and ventilation, and there was no mistress to instruct the older children. In the mines, hurrier-boys would drag carriages along tracks to the miners, then drag the filled carriages back to the pit shaft and hook them to a chain so they could be pulled up. An 1843 inquiry into child labor said of Jabez Scott, aged fifteen,
8295-475: The second half of 1847, the directors, owing to the state of the Money Market... decided to abstain from letting the works from Doncaster to York. But at the end of July a further small contract was let to Messrs. Peto & Betts for the works from ... Doncaster, northwards to Askern, with the object of forming an "end-on" junction there with the branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, over which...
8400-476: The train service started on 1 October 1848. The York and North Midland Railway was urging the GNR to use the Y&;NMR line from Knottingley to York, shortly to be opened, and to abandon the GNR's plans for its own line to York. After considerable deliberation, the GNR agreed to this on 6 June 1850. By arrangement with the MS&LR the GNR started running trains between Lincoln and Sheffield on 7 August 1850;
8505-415: The trains were routed over the MS&LR from Sykes Junction, a few miles north of Lincoln. The London (Maiden Lane) to Peterborough line was ready for a demonstration opening run on 5 August 1850, and it was opened to the public on 7 August 1850; eight passenger trains were run each way daily, with three on Sundays. On 8 August 1850 trains started running through from London to York. The Maiden Lane terminal
8610-473: The use of Victoria, but then made an outright payment of £25,000 to secure permanent half-rights to the station. From 1859 GNR trains also ran to Huddersfield via Sheffield and Penistone. From 1866 the Great Northern Railway had the control it wanted in West Yorkshire. A number of additional branches were built; perhaps the most important was the Dewsbury branch. A Dewsbury terminus opened in 1874, but this
8715-402: Was Richardson of Bierley Hall. Bierley Church, built on land donated by Richardson, was in East Bowling. In the west of the township were a number of smaller landlords. This pattern of landholding is reflected in the pattern of land use to the current day. William Cudworth pointed out that Bradford was "Ironopolis" long before it became "Worstedopolis". Gary Firth writes "As early as 1796
8820-593: Was a British railway company incorporated in 1846 with the object of building a line from London to York . It quickly saw that seizing control of territory was key to development, and it acquired, or took leases of, many local railways, whether actually built or not. In so doing, it overextended itself financially. Nevertheless, it succeeded in reaching into the coalfields of Nottinghamshire , Derbyshire and Yorkshire , as well as establishing dominance in Lincolnshire and north London . Bringing coal south to London
8925-432: Was a formal opening on 5 June 1848 and a public opening two days later; at that stage the L&YR operated the passenger trains. On 5 August 1848 the GNR section was extended south to a temporary Doncaster station, and a goods service was operated. Part of the Loop Line was soon ready, and 58 miles from Walton Junction (near Peterborough, on the newly opened Midland Railway ) to Lincoln opened on 17 October 1848. The line
9030-441: Was a good general purpose coal overlain with seams of ironstone with a 32% iron content. The seat earths of the seams yielded ganister (needed for furnace linings) and fire clay. There were intermediate seams of good brick making clay and building stone. The partnerships which founded the new works had access to large scale capital, scientific knowledge and expert engineers, far beyond the resources of local landowners. They also had
9135-438: Was above the 500 ft contour and much of it above the 600 ft contour. The soil cover was boulder clay, unsuitable for arable farming. Altitude and poor soil limited the available crops. Little wheat could be grown. Grains were either barley or oats. Cudworth could find scant evidence that the "three open field" system had ever been used in Bowling, though it was a major feature of Bradford, Manningham and Horton. Outside of
9240-428: Was built and ready by the middle of 1851. By this means, the GNR was able to start a service between London and Leeds using running powers and agreements over other lines in a roundabout routing northward from Retford; George Hudson tried to repudiate his earlier undertaking to permit this, but at this time his disgraceful methods had come to light, and he had resigned from the Midland Railway and several other boards;
9345-497: Was closed in 1996 and the parish amalgamated with St Joseph, Manchester Road. St Ann's was the centre of the Irish community of Broomfields , once one of the most densely populated areas of Bradford and with some of the worst slums. By contrast in the north of Broomfields was the model village of Ripley Ville with spacious four bedroom houses for the upper levels of the working classes. The Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji Sikh gurdwara
9450-527: Was constructed in 1792. In 1792 Francis Lindley Wood (owner of Bolling Hall and Lord of the manor) attained his majority and proceeded to sink sunk coal mines on his estates. He delegated management of the mines to his energetic land agent, Isaac Wells. Isaac Wells only operated the New Heigh pit directly (It provided Sir Francis with a profit of £1200 pa.) and sub let other mines to "pit takers". In 1794 Sir Francis leased 93 acres of ironstone in Hall Lane to
9555-498: Was dominant, but general agricultural business, and short- and long-distance passenger traffic, were important activities too. Its fast passenger express trains captured the public imagination, and its Chief Mechanical Engineer Nigel Gresley became a celebrity. Anglo-Scottish travel on the East Coast Main Line became commercially important; the GNR controlled the line from London to Doncaster and allied itself with
9660-522: Was double except for a mile at Boston, which was made double track by a deviation on 11 May 1850. Captain Wynne viewed the line from Lincoln to Gainsborough on 29 March 1849, but refused permission to open until signals were provided at the swing bridge at Brayford Mere (Lincoln); the line opened on 9 April 1849 when they had been provided. The route made a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Gainsborough; GNR trains reversed at
9765-475: Was established in 1784. The Shelf works was established in 1785, the Bowling iron works was founded in 1787, the Low Moor works in 1788 and the Bierley works in 1810. The imported limestone was essential as a blast furnace flux. The local coal measures contained two very notable seams. The low sulphur better bed coal was used to make a blast furnace coke of very high quality. The black bed coal, 130 feet above it,
9870-467: Was followed by a through line to Batley via a new Dewsbury through station, opened in 1880. From 1867, the GNR launched into an expensive and ultimately unremunerative entry into the hilly terrain west of Bradford and north of Halifax. This started with the Halifax and Ovenden Junction Railway, a short line in the northern heights of Halifax, opened in 1874, jointly with the L&YR. This was followed by
9975-620: Was in an uneasy alliance with the Grand Junction Railway , which in turn connected with the North Union Railway which connected to Preston and Fleetwood . Scottish travellers made use of a steamer service from Fleetwood to Ardrossan . This was the period of the Railway Mania , when myriad schemes, not all of them realistic, were promoted, and anyone could get rich quickly if they were not caught with
10080-429: Was not made welcome at Sheffield, but a change of policy from 1856 brought some changes. In particular from 1 August 1857 the GNR "Manchester fliers" started running. They were worked by GNR locomotives through to Sheffield, and covered the 203 miles (325 km) from King's Cross to Manchester London Road via Sheffield in 5hr 20min, soon to be cut to an even five hours. Until February 1859 the GNR paid £1,500 per annum for
10185-458: Was not straight forward as mining had rendered much of the surface too unstable for building development. Map 3 shows an area near the Parks which was so unstable it remained undeveloped until the very end of the 20th century and which still (2014) suffers from periodic shaft collapses. One of the most important land sales occurred in 1849 when Messrs Ripley and Son of the Bowling dye works purchased
10290-552: Was occupied by carriage sidings. At the end of 1852 it was considered that the company had achieved its objectives as originally conceived, with the line opened from King's Cross over both the Towns Line and the Loop, into Yorkshire. Four passenger trains ran from Kings Cross to York, one of them first class only and one parliamentary train . The directors of the company continued to seek to consolidate occupation of territory, without necessarily building new lines. The capitalisation of
10395-473: Was once well wooded. Cudworth laments the substitution of "Bowling" for "Bolling" but is unable to say when it occurred except that it was "early". "If in this sketch we used the modern spelling and pronunciation it will be as a concession to modern notions." "In ancient times the township appears to have been known as Great and Little Bolling corresponding probably to the present distinctions of East Bowling and West Bowling which are generally speaking divided by
10500-459: Was opened on 21 October 1850; this was extended to Shepreth on 3 August 1851. Captain Mark Huish had been appointed General Manager of the London and North Western Railway on its formation in 1846. Huish was a skilful railway diplomat, and while his methods were generally more proper than Hudson's, they were aggressive in finding means of disadvantaging competitors, such as the GNR. From
10605-509: Was referred to by the company as "King's Cross". A through train to Edinburgh was run from 2 September 1850; the train ran via Peterborough, Boston, Lincoln, Retford, Doncaster, Knottingley, Milford Junction and York, thence by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (not yet open on a direct route). Goods traffic started on the main line from 12 December 1850, and the Hitchin to Royston line
10710-414: Was still concentrated in the hands of Wood, the owner of Bolling Hall, who was also Lord of The Manor. In 1780 virtually all the land between Wakefield Road and the boundary with West Bowling belonged to him, besides many parcels in West Bowling. Between Back Lane, Sticker Lane and Wakefield Road Rawson (Lord of the manor of Bradford) was the principal landowner. South of Rooley Lane the principal landowner
10815-419: Was the decision to connect to the L&YR station at Bradford (later Bradford Exchange). The LB&HJR station was a terminus, called Adolphus Street, and the connection towards Halifax by-passed it. A new curve was built of that connecting line to allow trains to enter the L&YR terminus; this started on 7 January 1867. Train movements at the throat of the L&YR station were frequent, and congestion became
10920-454: Was the lowest point of the township at an altitude of about 360 feet (110 m) above sea level. To the south the township boundary followed the watershed between Bradford Dale (draining to the north) and tributaries of the Aire and Calder draining to the south and south west. Map 1 shows that the watershed was at an altitude of 600 feet (180 m) at Laisterdyke (in the east) rising to 700 feet (210 m) at Odsal Top. Most of Bowling
11025-442: Was used for guns before the invention of wrought iron, and the cast iron guns were subject to rigorous production controls and quality tests. On 27 July 1796 the partners signed an agreement with Matthew Boulton and James Watt to pay royalties on the two steam engines in use at the works, and to be allowed to make additional steam engines at the works, paying royalties. When Sir William Armstrong invented wrought-iron guns, some of
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