No 42 bandstand for Princess Park & Cadishead Recreation Ground, Irlam, Lancashire
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TitleNo 42 bandstand for Princess Park & Cadishead Recreation Ground, Irlam, Lancashire
ReferenceGD10/6/9/1/46
DateFeb 1926
Archive creatorLion Foundry
Scope and ContentOrder No: L47; Customer: ; Diameter 20ft. Roof details, plinth, annotated advertisement (needs conservation).
Extent3 drawings
LanguageEnglish
Level of descriptionfile
Admin history/BiographyOpened in 1880 by Robert Hudson and his partners, the Lion Foundry was the last of a series of foundries established in Kirkintilloch that, at their peak, employed one in sixth of the population. It was registered as a limited company in 1893.
The Lion Foundry was sited near the North British Railway and the Forth and Clyde Canal, which meant that raw materials could be brought almost to the door and the finished products easily distributed. The foundry specialised in fine ornamental and architectural cast ironwork and gained a reputation for high standards of workmanship and a capacity to be flexible in the face of changing demand. Their products included building front panels, fire-escape stairs, bridge parapets, bandstands, arcades, verandahs, balconies and shelters, as well as sanitary ware and building and plumbing castings. Their manufactures were sold worldwide and included Buenos Aires station, but their main market was British. Work was carried out for all cities and towns of importance, and indeed many pre-war buildings in London were supplied with front panels by the Lion Foundry, including Unilever House, Waterloo Station, Bush House and The Adelphi.
After the Second World War the firm began specialising in engineering castings, including the famous red telephone kiosks.
In 1970 the Lion Foundry Company Limited was acquired by Kent Castings (Gillingham) Limited, which was renamed Butterley Engineering Industries Limited in August 1971, and then became known as Crittall-Hope Engineering Limited upon acquiring Crittall-Hope Limited in November 1971. The Lion Foundry finally succumbed to the pressures of foreign competition in December 1984 when, after losing its contract to supply the GPO with telephone boxes and post boxes, it had to lay off its remaining workers.
The Lion Foundry was sited near the North British Railway and the Forth and Clyde Canal, which meant that raw materials could be brought almost to the door and the finished products easily distributed. The foundry specialised in fine ornamental and architectural cast ironwork and gained a reputation for high standards of workmanship and a capacity to be flexible in the face of changing demand. Their products included building front panels, fire-escape stairs, bridge parapets, bandstands, arcades, verandahs, balconies and shelters, as well as sanitary ware and building and plumbing castings. Their manufactures were sold worldwide and included Buenos Aires station, but their main market was British. Work was carried out for all cities and towns of importance, and indeed many pre-war buildings in London were supplied with front panels by the Lion Foundry, including Unilever House, Waterloo Station, Bush House and The Adelphi.
After the Second World War the firm began specialising in engineering castings, including the famous red telephone kiosks.
In 1970 the Lion Foundry Company Limited was acquired by Kent Castings (Gillingham) Limited, which was renamed Butterley Engineering Industries Limited in August 1971, and then became known as Crittall-Hope Engineering Limited upon acquiring Crittall-Hope Limited in November 1971. The Lion Foundry finally succumbed to the pressures of foreign competition in December 1984 when, after losing its contract to supply the GPO with telephone boxes and post boxes, it had to lay off its remaining workers.
Repository nameEast Dunbartonshire Archives - Kirkintilloch
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