Image ID: 42766

Midworth's Iron Fountdry, Northgate, Newark, 1869

Northgate
Newark on Trent
Nottinghamshire
England

This image shows a selection of William Midworths fine castings. Clockwise, Royal Coat of Arms; unknown; Charles I, Aristotle and Oliver Cromwell. Centre, Duke of Wellington. Joseph Midworth (1779-1860) established the Wellington Foundry on Northgate in Newark in 1814 after serving an apprenticeship with his uncle, Samuel Midworth, in Mansfield. (Samuel was himself a successful iron founder, having made his fortune casting machine parts for use in cotton mills). Joseph began erecting his foundry in Newark — the first in the town — in 1814, building himself a house, which he named Wellington House, next to it. At first the foundry supplied a lucrative market in the casting of machinery wheels, iron columns for building, domestic ranges and industrial boilers, although a new line in copper castings was established when Joseph entered partnership with Thomas Wilson, a coppersmith, in about 1821.<br /><br />This partnership lasted until Wilson’s death in 1844, after which Joseph was joined in the business by his two sons, John (born 1816) and William (1817-1899), the business now taking on the name J and W Midworth. As their father (by now in his 70s) began to withdraw from the business, John and William embarked on a period of expansion, buying out some other small local foundries and broadening their product base to include agricultural machinery (particularly ploughs), street furniture, and a range of household items such as letter-racks, ornamental daggers and candlesticks. <br /><br />It was under the brothers’ ownership too that the company began to diversify into the fine iron castings for which it was to become renowned. The company cast the original Newark Parish Church railings (removed during the second world war), whilst other commissions included iron gates for Fulbeck Hall and Harlaxton Manor in Lincolnshire (still in place) and work at Ossington Hall in Nottinghamshire (demolished in 1963). <br /><br />The company’s most notable country house commission, however, was for the interior iron and brass work of Sir Gilbert Scott’s Gothic revival masterpiece, Kelham Hall just outside Newark. Here may still be seen finely decorated iron fireplaces, cast iron flower designs, and a barley twist iron balustrade with brass handrail on the main staircase. <br /><br />Alongside these lucrative and highly prestigious country house commissions, William also spent many hours casting commemorative medallions and plaques, largely for his own interest and as an exercise in furthering the art of fine casting. <br /><br />A collection of Williams medallions — including depictions of Oliver Cromwell, Aristotle, Wellington, and Charles I – is held by Newark Museum.<br /><br />In 1867, for reasons that are unclear, the partnership of John and William Midworth appears to have been dissolved. <br /><br />The Wellington Foundry was sold to Thomas Bradley. John Midworth moved away from Newark, while William continued in the iron-founding business, setting up near the canal lock in Newark. By 1873 we find him involved in a new enterprise as Brass Founder and Finisher at Top Lock, Trent Bridge, Newark, and in 1882 he is listed as having entered partnership with a Mr White at Lock Mills in Northgate. This last partnership ended in 1888, and at 71 William, with eyesight failing, was once again alone. Although he continued trading, his fortunes, which had never been certain since leaving the Wellington Foundry, began to falter. <br /><br />In 1882 when he began. his venture with White, William was living in a gentleman’s villa, in Spring Gardens. After their break-up in 1888 he is recorded as living in a terraced house in Crown Street, while his last premises on Pelham Street were even smaller. The final years of William’s life were spent in North Muskham, where he was cared for by his two unmarried daughters. Despite being blind, he continued casting iron for his own amusement in the garden shed. <br /><br />He died, aged 82, in July 1899.

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KeywordsironcastingsfigurescoatofarmsolivercromwelldukeWellingtoncharlesI

Newark Library