Parkhead Forge

Location type

Works

Name and dates

Parkhead Forge (1837-1979)

Served by the The Switchback (Caledonian Railway).
Served by the Glasgow and Coatbridge Branch (North British Railway).
Open on the William Beardmore & Co Ltd.

Description

This forge in Parkhead, north east Glasgow, was built around 1837 for Reoch Brothers & Co. The oldest part was on the south side of New Road by the junction with Old Edinburgh Road. In 1841 David Napier took over the Parkhead Forge.

It grew under William Beardmore [Junior]'s ownership to become a large concern, manufacturing a broad range of products including armaments and heavy steel plate. It was associated with the [Dalmuir Naval Construction Yard]], Inchterf Proving Range and Inchinnan Airship Constructional Station. The larger portfolio extended to battleships, airships, aircraft, taxis and more.

The forge was served by both the Glasgow and Coatbridge Branch (North British Railway) and the The Switchback (Caledonian Railway). The former ran to the north of the site and the latter along the western edge.

Having focused on providing wartime equipment, the company struggled in peacetime. Over expansion and the involvement of Vickers, nationalisation, then Firth Brown saw the site reduced to manufacturing rollers for steel mills and then closure.

Tags

Forge

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67

Chronology Dates

  /  /1836John Inglis Reoch
Buys land at Parkhead, for the Parkhead Forge.
  /  /1837Reoch Brothers
Forging company established at the Parkhead Forge.
  /  /1841David Napier
Buys the Parkhead Forge.
  /  /1845William Rigby
Becomes manager at the Parkhead Forge.
  /  /1848Robert Napier
Buys the Parkhead Forge for his sons James R. Napier and John Napier.
  /  /1858Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Launches the SS Great Eastern at Millwall. The engine crank was manufacturer by the Parkhead Forge which was the only works capable of manufacturing such a large item. The forge would later belong to the Beardmores.
  /  /1859Robert Napier
Gains sole control of the Parkhead Forge from his sons.
  /  /1860William Rigby
Buys the Parkhead Forge.
17/08/1885The Switchback (Caledonian Railway)
London Road Junction [Glasgow] to Parkhead Forge opened.
31/12/1975William Beardmore & Co Ltd
Ceases trading, Parkhead Forge controlled by Firth Brown.

Books


Beardmore Aviation: The Story of a Scottish Industrial Giant's Aviation Activities

Beardmore Built HMS Argus 1914 to 1947: The World's First Flat-Top Aircraft Carrier

Beardmore Built, The Rise And Fall Of A Clydeside Shipyard.

Beardmore: The history of a Scottish industrial giant