Messrs. C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones, manufacturers of all kinds of textile fabrics, carry on a large business in a building which was formerly the city residence of the priors of Ixworth. On an old door, which formerly opened into the prior’s hall, is the following inscription in black letter on the transoms which divide the panels:—
Maria plena, mater micRemembyr Wyllyá Lowth, Prior 18.
Maria plena, mater micRemembyr Wyllyá Lowth, Prior 18.
William Louth was the 18th Prior of Walsingham, from 1505 to 1515. This door has been noticed by Blomefield and others, but not correctly; Mr. H. Harrod gave an engraving with description in his “Gleanings Among the Castles and Convents of Norfolk,” (1857). John Aldrich, a grocer, resided here prior to 1549. He was elected an alderman in 1544, sheriff in 1551, mayor in 1558 and 1570, and member of parliament for Norwich in 1555, 1558, and 1572. He was buried inside of St. Clement’s church, on the north side of the chancel, June 12th, 1582. His wife, Elizabeth Aldrich, was buried there April 3rd, 1587. Messrs. C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones have almost rebuilt the house. They produce large quantities of textile fabrics, including poplins (plain, figured, and watered) paramattas, bareges, winseys, linseys, grenadines,and a variety of fancy goods for dresses, which are in great demand. At the first Great Exhibition of 1851 a medal was awarded to this firm for poplins, and at the Great Exhibition of 1862 for poplins and poplinettes. In addition to the old extensive premises, the firm, some time since, purchased the steam-power mills in Calvert Street, and they also occupy a steam-power shed at St. James’ factory.
Messrs. Towler, Rowling, and Allen, of Elm Hill, occupy large rooms in the new buildings adjoining St. James’ factory, where they produce large quantities of plain and fancy goods, which have been in great demand. They make also large quantities of plain fabrics, for wholesale houses only. At the London Exhibition of 1862, honourable mention was made of the shawls of this firm.
Mr. J. L Barber has a large establishment in St. Martin’s Lane, where he carries on business, making reels and winding cotton on them. He supplies great quantities of cotton-thread to wholesale and retail houses.
Messrs. Sultzer and Co. carry on the manufacture of crapes to a considerable extent in premises built for the purpose in St. Augustine’s.
Messrs. F. Hindes and Sons, who have a warehouse in Botolph Street, manufacture paramattas, bareges, tamataves, grenadines, poplins, shawls, and cloakings. They hire a floor also in the steam-power factory.
Messrs. French and Co. formed a Limited Liability Company, and built a new factory in the Mill Yard Lane, where they manufacture crapes, which are in great demand.
Messrs. Grout and Co., manufacturers of gauzes, crapes, aerophanes, &c., in addition to their mills in Norwich, have other mills at Yarmouth and Ditchingham, and at Ponder’s End near London. Theirs is, in fact, the greatest concern in the world in the production of crapes and other silk goods. In their several mills they employ about 2000 hands.
Mr. George Allen erected a large factory in 1857 in St. Stephen’s Back Street, for the manufacture of elastic cloths for table covers, gloves, shawls, and other clothing purposes, and for the production also of silk and lisle webs. The elastic cloths, which are made upon warp frames, are considered to be a great improvement on “Hooper’s Elastics,” made in the west of England, and for wear they are believed to be unsurpassed. The manufacture gives employment to a considerable number of hands.
About 500 power looms are at work in the city, when trade is good, weaving a great variety of mixed fabrics, and no doubt each loom does double the work of the old hand-loom. Supposing each loom to produce one piece of goods weekly, there would be 500 pieces weekly, or 26,000 pieces yearly. The prices vary in value from £1 to £10 per piece, and may be averaged at £5, so that the annual value would be about £130,000. But at least 500 hand-looms are also at work, and supposing that they produce half the quantity of goods, the total annual value would be £195,000, or in round numbers £200,000. We are sorry to state, however, as already intimated, that the manufacture of textile fabrics in Norwich has for some time pastbeen declining, and cannot compare with former years. The depression has arisen from various causes, among which may be mentioned war, which has deprived the city of its best markets. The introduction of cotton and silk goods too has nearly superseded the old stuff fabrics of the city. Machinery in Norwich is also behind that in the north. The wool grown in Norfolk and Suffolk has, moreover, been sent to Yorkshire to be spun, and has been repurchased as yarn for Norwich goods; and lastly, Norwich weavers have not the energy of those in Bradford. Fashion also has been one of the causes of the loss of trade, for the fashions are continually changing, and Norwich firms have to compete with all England, Scotland, and France; and it is not to be expected that a few houses in this city will produce as many novelties as all the rest of the world. A School of Art has been established, but it has not yet produced many practical designers.
Havinggiven an account of the textile manufactures in this city, we proceed to furnish some particulars of the more important of other classes of business, which go to make up the sum total of the trade and commerce of the city.
Banking, as now understood, was not carried on till the eighteenth century. Before the American war of Independence very few country banks were established. Norwich manufactures were in their most prosperous state in the middle of last century, and then it was that some banks were established in this city. On January 31st, 1756, a bank was opened in the Upper Market by Charles Weston, who carried on business till the end of the century. In 1768, Mr. Thomas Allday’s bank was opened; afterwards Sir R. Kerrison and Son were proprietors, and in 1808 the bank failed. The debts amounted to £460,000, and the dividends paid amounted to 16s. 4d. in the pound. This was thefirst bank failure in Norwich of any importance, and it shook public confidence in banks.
Messrs. Gurney’s bank was established in Norwich in 1775 as a bank of deposit and issue. This was at a period the most flourishing in the commercial annals of Norwich. The annual value of textile fabrics produced in the city was over a million sterling, a trade which was of course a great source of business to the bank. Henry Gurney, and his son Bartlett Gurney, were the first proprietors. On the death of the father, the son associated himself with his three brothers, Richard, Joseph, and John Gurney; so the firm continued till the deaths of the different parties. About 1825, Mr. H. Birkbeck, of Lynn, and Mr. Simon Martin were taken in as partners. The firm then comprised R. H. Gurney, J. J. Gurney, D. Gurney, Simon Martin, and H. Birkbeck. After J. J. Gurney and S. Martin died, the firm comprised D. Gurney, J. H. Gurney, H. Birkbeck, F. H. Gurney, and C. H. Gurney; and W. Birkbeck came in after the death of his father. The bank at Norwich has in its connection branches at North Walsham, Aylsham, Holt, Dereham, Fakenham, and Attleborough. At Yarmouth the firm, until lately, comprised D. Gurney, J. H. Gurney, H. Birkbeck, T. Brightwen, and J. H. Orde. This branch has in its connection other branches at Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth, Saxmundham, Eye, and Stowmarket. At Lynn the firm, until lately, comprised D. Gurney, J. H. Gurney, H. Gurney, H. Birkbeck, S. Gurney, and F. G. Cresswell, and this bank extends to Downham and Swaffham.
The members of the several firms are now as follow:
Norwich and Norfolk Bank.
Henry Birkbeck.
Francis Hay Gurney.
William Birkbeck.
Henry Ford Barclay.
Samuel Gurney Buxton.
John Gurney.
Yarmouth and Suffolk Bank.
Henry Birkbeck.
Henry F. Barclay.
S. G. Buxton.
John Gurney.
Thomas Brightwen.
James Henry Orde.
Lynn and Lincolnshire Bank.
Daniel Gurney.
Henry Birkbeck.
Somerville Arthur Gurney.
H. F. Barclay.
S. G. Buxton.
Francis Joseph Cresswell.
The Crown Bank, in King Street, Norwich, was opened on January 2nd, 1792, as a bank of deposit, discount, and issue. The original proprietors were Messrs. Hudson and Hatfield, and the first bank was in the Haymarket. About forty years since the proprietors were Charles Saville Onley, Sir Robert John Harvey, Anthony Hudson, and Thomas Hudson. They then employed only seven clerks, and now thirty clerks are employed at the new bank. On January 13th, 1820, a circular was issued by A. and T. Hudson, stating that it was with great regret that they announced the death of their friend and partner, Mr. Robert Harvey. Owing to his death, his brother, Mr. Charles Harvey, and Sir Robert John Harvey, his nephew, were added to the firm. Before 1820, Mr. Onley withdrew. Mr. T. Hudson and Mr. A. Hudson died, and before theend of the Russian war, Sir Robert John Harvey died. The present proprietors are Sir Robert John Harvey Harvey, Bart., Crown Point, and Roger Allday Kerrison, Esq., who lives at Ipswich. They have lately built a very handsome bank in the Corinthian style of architecture, on the Castle Meadow, and it was opened in January, 1866. At first the Crown Bank had only three agents in the eastern counties, but the number has gradually increased to thirty. The firm purchased the large business of Messrs. Taylor and Dyson at Diss. This was an important addition, the Diss bank having extensive connections in Norfolk and Suffolk.
In 1806, Messrs. Starling Day and Sons were bankers, in Pottergate Street, afterwards in the Market Place, in the court adjoining the Chronicle Office; and on December 16th, 1825, the bank stopped. In 1806, T. Bignold, Son, and Co. were bankers in Briggs’ Street, but did not long continue in business. The Norfolk and Norwich Joint Stock Bank was established in 1820, in Surrey Street. This bank consisted of a small proprietary, and the business, after the loss of the whole share capital, was disposed of to the East of England Joint Stock Company, in 1836. That company carried on business in the Haymarket till 1864, when the bank failed. The sad event was the cause of much misery in the city and county; and many persons who had been in comfortable circumstances were entirely ruined and left destitute. The proprietors lost all their capital, and were called upon to liquidate heavy liabilities besides.There has not been much over trading in the eastern counties, and the failure of the East of England Bank should be a warning to other joint stock banks, which ought to be the safest if well managed. The business of the East of England Bank and the premises were purchased by the Provincial Banking Corporation, limited, and that company now carries on business in the Haymarket.
About 1838, Mr. Balls opened a bank for deposits, in the Upper Market. He carried on his business through the house of Sanderson in London. Sanderson failed for £365,000, but afterwards paid 20s. in the pound, and had £20,000 to spare. Mr. Balls gave up his bank in Norwich, in 1847.
The Consolidated Bank arose from a union of the banks of Hankey and Co., and Hayward, Kennard, and Co., London, and the bank of Manchester. They were amalgamated in 1863, under the name of the Consolidated Bank, with a branch in London Street, Norwich. The Company gave up this branch, and the handsome new premises in London Street were taken by the National Provincial Bank, which has been established since 1833.
Country banks are all of them banks of deposit and discount; they act as agents for the remittance of money to and from London, and for effecting payments between different parts of the kingdom. Nearly all of them are also banks of issue, and their notes are, in most cases, made payable to some bank in London, as well as at the place where they are issued. A moderate rate of interest, from 2 to 2½ per cent, isallowed by country bankers on deposits which remain with them for any period beyond six months. Some make this allowance for shorter periods. Where a depositor has also a drawing account, the balance is struck every six months, and the interest due on the average is placed to his credit. On drawing accounts, a commission, usually an eighth per cent, is charged on all payments. The country banker on his part pays his London agent for the trouble which he occasions, either by keeping a certain sum of money in his hands without interest, or by allowing a commission on the payments made for his account, or by a fixed annual payment in lieu of the same. The portion of funds in their hands arising from deposits and issues, which is not required for discounting bills and making advances in the country, is invested in government or mercantile securities in London, which in the event of a contraction of deposits, can be made immediately available.
The agriculture of the eastern counties, the most productive in England, is the foundation of their industrial prosperity, and the chief source of business to the banks in the market towns. It is well known that since the commencement of this century, by means of an improved system of husbandry, the agricultural resources of the district have greatly increased, as has also the annual value of the produce in cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, and corn. The various branches of industry and manufactures carried on in Norwich and the county are also, of course, to be reckoned amongst the sources of the banking business.
Mr. Dyer, in White Lion Street; Messrs. Riches and Skoyles, Davey Place; Mr. Womack, Dove Street and Lobster Lane; and Messrs. Steward and Son, Tombland; occupy extensive premises, where garments are made for men and boys by the use of machines, and are disposed of wholesale to retail clothiers all over the district. The introduction of sewing machines has given a great impulse to this trade, and garments of all kinds and sizes are produced here as good in quality and as low in price as they can be obtained in any part of the kingdom.
A minute’s walk from the Market Place, in Bethel Street, are the steam clothing works and warehouses of Messrs. F. W. Harmer and Co. Between 200 and 300 persons are employed by this firm in the manufacture of boys’ and men’s clothing; their goods are sold wholesale only, and are made for what is technically called the “home trade.” In this establishment the different processes of cutting, sewing, making button holes, &c., which a few years since were performed by hand labour, are now principally done by machinery worked by steam power, to the advantage both of the hands employed and the consumers of the goods.
This trade dates from the commencement of the present century; and for some time it was confined to goods for the home market. In 1800, Mr. JamesSmith began the trade, which was afterwards enlarged by the late Mr. Charles Winter, who carried on a great business, both for the home market and for exportation to the colonies. On the death of that gentleman the concern passed into the hands of Messrs. Willis and Southall, under whose able management the reputation of the old house is fully sustained, and whose goods command a ready sale both at home and abroad. The quality of the goods is now much improved, and large quantities are exported to the colonies.
Formerly, all boots and shoes were made by hand only, and consequently there was a great difference in the quality of the work. The operatives used to take their work to their homes. They received so many dozen uppers from the warehouses and returned them finished, and were paid according to quality and quantity. The late Mr. C. Winter first made use of sewing machines, for the uppers of boots and shoes, about 1856. Afterwards American machines were introduced, to sew the soles to the uppers.
About eighteen years since, the manufacturers began to make goods for exportation to Canada, to the Cape of Good Hope, to India, and Australia. This export trade was carried on to a large extent, from 1856 till 1866. Mr. C. Winter sent large quantities of goods to Canada and India, and the other manufacturers to Australia. A number of emigrants, however, went into the trade in Australia, and the local parliament imposed a duty of 25 per cent. on English-made goods, which stopped the trade, so thatof late, very few Australian orders have been received in this city. Notwithstanding this drawback, the boot and shoe trade has become a very extensive and important branch of industry in Norwich, and about 3000 hands are employed in the manufacture. Hitherto it has been confined chiefly to women and children’s goods, but men’s boots have been made to some extent, and there is no reason why the trade should not be greatly increased. Machines, as we have said, have been introduced in the various processes of manufacture, and steam power has been applied to the machines in two large factories, where vast quantities of goods are produced. The result has been not to diminish but to extend the number of hands, and to increase the rate of payment.
The hand machines now in use are chiefly those of Thomas, Singer, or Howes. About 400 machines are at work daily in the warehouses, and 200 in private houses. In two factories, large American machines are used for attaching the soles to the uppers at the rate of a pair per minute. By means of these machines, a pair of boots may be cut out, and the uppers, after fitting, sewn together and finished in an hour; and the work, moreover, is better done by the use of machines than it usually is by hand. Three operatives are required for each machine, two fitters and one machinist.
When trade is good, about 3000 men, women, and children, are employed in the manufacture, either in the warehouses or in their own homes. The operatives may be divided into one-third men, one-third women,and one-third children. They will produce, with the aid of machines, about 1000 dozen pairs of boots and shoes daily. The quantity will therefore be 6000 dozen weekly, and taking the average price at 40s. per dozen, the value would be £12,000 weekly. Supposing the trade to continue brisk for fifty weeks in the year, the annual value would be £600,000.
During the year, 1868, trade was very prosperous, and manufacturers received more orders than they could execute. The quantities before stated may be doubled for that year; and at least 6000 men, women, and children, were employed. Their production, with the aid of machines, has been about 2000 dozen pairs of boots and shoes daily, or 12,000 dozen pairs weekly, so that the weekly value has been £24,000, or £1,200,000 yearly. Norwich does not transact a hundredth part of this branch of trade in England, and, therefore, it may be increased to an indefinite extent.
The principal firms in the trade in 1868, were Messrs. Tillyard and Howlett, on St. George’s Plain; Mr. Kemp, in Pitt Street; Messrs. Willis and Southall, who occupy very extensive premises in the Upper Market; Mr. Hotblack, St. Faith’s Lane; Mr. Lulham, Fishgate Street; Mr. Ford, St. George Colegate; Mr. Homan, Theatre Street; Mr. Bostock, Swan Lane; Mr. Steadman, Bethel Street; Messrs. Barker and Gostling, Wensum Street; Mr. Haldenstein, Queen Street; Messrs. Gamble and Davis, Calvert Street; Mr. Smith, Calvert Street; Mr. D. Soman, Calvert Street; Mr. Base, in Prince’s Street; Mr. Copeman,St. Stephen’s; Mr. Horne, Charing Cross; Mr. Worledge, Magdalen Street.
The Carrow Works have been greatly extended since the brief notice in the first part of this history was written, and we are now enabled to give a fuller description. Messrs. J. and J. Colman employ about 1200 men and boys in the production of mustard, starch, blue, paper, and flour. By the use of machinery of the most improved construction, and by selecting seed of the finest quality, the firm produces mustard which cannot be surpassed in purity and flavour. This mustard obtained the only prize medals awarded for the article at the Great Exhibition in London, 1862, and Dublin, 1865, and the only silver medal at Paris, 1868. The firm also obtained medals for starch at the Great Exhibitions in London, 1851 and 1862; Dublin, 1865; York, 1866; and Paris, 1868.
Carrow Works are situated just outside of the King Street Gates of the city, on the banks of the river Wensum, which is navigable for vessels of about 120 tons. Lines of railway are laid down in various directions through the premises connecting all the principal warehouses with the Great Eastern Railway at Trowse. Thus Messrs. Colman have every facility for receiving the raw material, and for disposing of the manufactured goods by land or water conveyance. The machinery used is very extensive, and sixteen engines are now employed, amounting altogether to 1000-horse power.
On entering the works we pass the timekeeper’s office, and observe on the right hand a large range of brick buildings. Here is the mustard mill, and amid all the noise within we are shewn the process by which the well-known condiment, mustard, is produced in such immense quantities, and in the greatest perfection. The mustard seed, which is grown extensively in some parts of this country, is crushed between iron rollers, and is then pounded in large mortars, a long row of which stand on one side of the mill. The pestles consist of long wooden rods with heavy balls of iron. They are set in rapid motion by means of steam power, and the mustard seed is speedily reduced to the condition of flour and bran. These are readily separated, and the flour is brought to the requisite quality by means of silk sieves, which vary in fineness according to the quality of the mustard to be produced. These sieves are loosely arranged in frames, and set in motion by means of revolving shafts. Two kinds of seed, the brown and the white, are thus crushed, pounded, and sifted. The brown is far more pungent than the white; but in order to produce a flavour relished by consumers, it is necessary to mix these two kinds, and it is the judicious mixture which gives the fine aromatic flavour of the mustard for which the firm is celebrated.
Adjoining the mustard mill is the packing floor, where a great number of men and boys are employed in putting the mustard into tins of various shapes and sizes, and adorning them with the handsome labels which are so generally exhibited in grocers’ windowseverywhere, for the demand for this mustard is universal.
Leaving the mustard mill we enter the starch works, which seem to be still more extensive. The process of making starch is carefully explained to us. After the grain has been moistened with a solution of caustic soda, it is passed into the mill, where it is mixed with water and ground in its wet state between mill stones; from each pair of which continually runs a stream of pure white liquid, resembling thin paste. This liquid is placed in large iron tanks called “separators,” a considerable quantity of water is added, and the whole is well stirred for some time. It is then allowed to settle, and the various particles of husk, gluten, &c., sink slowly and form a thick deposit at the bottom. The water with the starch in solution is then drawn off and pumped up into immense shallow vats, several sets of which, placed over one another, occupy the whole of the upper part of the building. In the course of two or three days the liquid in the shallow vats gradually deposits the starch held in solution, when the water is drawn off, and the starch is taken out and placed in long narrow boxes filled with holes and lined with cloth. It remains in these boxes for some time in order that the moisture may gradually drain out and the starch consolidate. As soon as it is sufficiently hardened, the starch is taken out and divided into blocks, each about six inches square, and put into stoves and exposed to a temperature of about 140 degrees; after which it is cleaned, papered, and again placed in stoves, where it remains till it isgradually crystallized, when the process of manufacture is complete, and the starch is ready for sale.
We now walk across to the other side of the premises and enter a long row of workshops, where a great number of men and boys are employed in making tin-packages for the mustard. Passing by long ranges of coopers and carpenters’ shops, we soon come to a large square block of buildings called the “blue factory.” Here the indigo is mixed with the finest starch, water is added, and the whole is ground in a moist state by large heavy mill stones, till it resembles a very thick, dark blue paste. It is transferred by means of a steam hoist to the upper part of the building, where it is received and quickly manipulated by a number of girls, who divide it into small cakes and stamp it with wooden stamps of various devices, from which it is called “Stamp Title,” “Lion,” &c.; or they work it into balls, on which they leave the impressions of their finger and thumb, when it is called “Thumb Blue.” We learn from the workers that the great art of blue making consists in drying it carefully, so that the lumps or cakes may harden without cracking. We walk through many rooms, almost in the dark, for the window shutters, which are closed, are so constructed as to regulate the temperature, and we have just room to pass between large tiers of racks filled with wooden trays, on which the lumps and cakes of blue are placed in order that they may dry gradually.
We next take a peep at the paper mill, and admire the beautiful machinery which rapidly transforms anyquantity of dirty rags into a thin milk-like pulp, and then into solid quires and reams of paper, all cut and ready for use. As we pass we look into the engineers’ shop and wonder at the variety of the machinery there, capable of operating on the hardest steel, and of planing, cutting, punching, or drilling it with the greatest apparent ease; and we learn that most of the machinery is made and repaired on the premises.
We are at last taken to the luncheon kitchen, in which a good lunch or dinner is provided, consisting of as much hot meat and potatoes as any man can eat, for threepence. Many of the men and boys gladly avail themselves of this kitchen, and obtain a good meal without leaving the works.
On leaving the yard we ascend the hill and observe a handsome school-house, built in the Gothic style, and we learn that it was built by Messrs. J. and J. Colman for the children of the working-people in their service. The school comprises several class-rooms, and is fitted up with every convenience.
Coal and iron form the basis of our industrial system in this island, but neither of them are produced in the eastern counties, which are, for the most part, purely agricultural. Iron manufactures have, however, arisen since the commencement of the present century, chiefly for agricultural purposes. Norwich cannot boast of concerns so extensive as Messrs. Ransome and Sims, of Ipswich; or Messrs.Garrett, of Leiston, in Suffolk; but several firms here employ large numbers of mechanics in the construction of engines, machines, and implements of every sort.
Dr. William Fairbairn, in his “History of Iron,” mentions five distinct epochs: the first dating from the employment of an artificial blast, to accelerate combustion; the second marked by the use of coke in the reduction, about the year 1750; the third dating from the introduction of the steam engine, on account of the facilities which that invention has given for raising the ores, pumping the mines, supplying the furnace with a copious and regular blast, and moving the powerful forge, and rolling machinery; while the fourth is indicated by the introduction of the system of puddling and rolling; and the fifth and last—though not the least important epoch in the history of iron, is marked by the application of the hot blast, an invention which has increased the production of iron four-fold, and has enabled the iron-master to smelt otherwise useless and unreducible ores. It has abolished the processes of coking and roasting, and has afforded facilities for a large and rapid production, far beyond the most sanguine anticipations of its inventors. Some manufacturers, taking advantage of so powerful an agent, have used improper materials, such as cinder heaps and impure ores, and by unduly hastening the process, have produced an inferior kind of iron.
Nearly all the iron manufacturers in Norwich, Norfolk, and Suffolk, are founders, and make their owncastings for engines, girders, and machines of every kind. The principal firms in this district are Messrs. Ransome and Sims, before named; Messrs. Garrett, of Leiston; Mr. Turner, Ipswich; Messrs. Woods, Cocksedge, and Warner, Stowmarket; Mr. C. Burrell, of Thetford; and Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, & Barnard, Mr. W. S. Boulton, Mr. Smithdale, and Messrs. Holmes and Sons, of Norwich. These great firms send their productions all over the civilised world.
The important works of Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnard, of Norwich, are situate in St. Michael’s Coslany, and cover an area of one acre, next the river Wensum. Entering from Coslany Street, the new counting house is joined on the right by a suite of offices, and on the left by the smith’s shop, which is backed by fire-proof workshops, seventy-five feet in length, and five stories in height. The large foundry is at the east end of the works. A tramway runs from Coslany Street into the interior, permeating the premises. About 400 men and boys are employed in the production of wire-netting, fencing, garden chairs, stands, machines, lawn mowers, gates, and every kind of horticultural implements. A glance at the operations of the firm will, doubtless, be interesting to our readers. One of the most important is the production daily of many miles of wire-netting, made by curious machinery. The strained wire fencing is made on the best principle, the bases of both the straining pillars and standards being entirely of iron; and after a test of more than thirty years, it has been found very superior, both as regards durability and appearance. Messrs. Barnard,Bishop, and Barnard are also makers, on a large scale, of bedsteads, mangles, cooking ranges, kitcheners, &c., &c., &c.
This firm, the founder of which was Mr. Charles Barnard, a man of modest demeanour, but possessed of considerable inventive genius, will live in history as the manufacturers of the celebrated “Norwich Gates,” exhibited in 1862. These were designed by Mr. Thomas Jekyll of this city, and by a county subscription were, in November, 1864, placed at the entrance to the park at Sandringham, the residence of the Prince of Wales. During the Exhibition of 1862, these marvellous productions attracted great attention. TheTimes, of April 7th, after alluding to works of a similar character, said:—
“In our judgment, however, the design of these latter is scarcely equal to that of the beautiful wrought-iron park gates, which are being erected, as a principal nave trophy, by Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnard.”
“In our judgment, however, the design of these latter is scarcely equal to that of the beautiful wrought-iron park gates, which are being erected, as a principal nave trophy, by Messrs. Barnard, Bishop, and Barnard.”
These were adjudged to be the best in the Exhibition. The same firm also produced very elegant gates, which were exhibited at the Paris Exhibition, in 1867, and greatly admired for the beauty of the design and perfect workmanship. These gates were only thirteen feet wide, and seven feet in height, but they occupied forty of the best workmen from morning till night for three months, at a cost of £750 in wages. These gates were quite unique in design and workmanship. There was not a touch of the chisel. The hammer did all the work in the most perfect manner.
In conclusion, we may state, that after a minute examination of the productions at these works, we feel convinced that articles can now be executed in metal, which surpass the doings of past ages; and that the labour, combined with the intelligence of this 19th century, when skilfully directed, is quite equal to that of the mediæval period.
Mr. W. S. Boulton, who occupies extensive premises in Rose Lane, is a manufacturer of agricultural and horticultural implements; also of strained wire fencing, iron hurdles, park gates, garden chairs, iron bedsteads, kitchen ranges, hot-water appuratus, &c. He produces every kind of railing and palisading in great variety, and he put up the iron palisading round Chapel Field, which is a great ornament as well as protection to the ground. He also supplies a great variety of useful machines, such as mincing and sausage machines, and almost all articles made of iron.
Messrs. Riches and Watts are engineers and machine makers, at Duke’s Palace Iron Works. They are builders of condensing engines, vertical cylinder engines, and steam thrashing machines; and are also makers of American grist mills, corn mills, mills for grinding linseed, &c., cultivators, pumping machinery, iron field rollers, and all kinds of implements.
Messrs. Holmes and Sons, engineers, on the Castle Hill, are makers of a great variety of machines and implements which have gained many prizes at different Agricultural Exhibitions. The firm have also been very extensively engaged for thirty-five years in the manufacture of drills. During this period, everypractical improvement has been introduced, adapting them to every description of soil, simplifying the different parts, and decreasing the working expenses for the renewal of wearing parts. These drills stand unequalled for simplicity, durability, and efficiency, and are of lighter draft than others, owing to the position of the coulters and levers. More than 4000 of these drills have been sent out. The premises of this firm are well situated close to the cattle market, and have been considerably enlarged. The new show rooms in the Market are nearly opposite to the entrance to the Castle. Entering the works from the high road, we may first inspect the foundry, containing an enormous crane and three cupolas. Adjoining the foundry are the stoves for small castings, and above it the pattern-makers’ shop. Returning to the yard, we may enter the erecting and fitting shop. The drill-fitting shop and the thrashing-machine shops are admirably adapted for their intended purposes. About a hundred hands are employed in the works.
Mr. Thomas Smithdale has a very large establishment at St. Ann’s Staithe, King Street, on the site of an ancient monastery, remains of which still exist next the river. In the large foundry, castings of iron are made, up to ten tons; and the workshops contain the heaviest machinery in Norwich. Mr. Smithdale builds engines from three to a hundred horse power; and he makes also hydraulic presses, cranes, crabs, mill works, planing, shaping, and drilling machines, and boilers of all sizes.
Mr. Reeve, in Pitt Street, is a manufacturer of improvedkitchen ranges of various sizes, which have been in great demand.
Messrs. Jarrold and Sons have, for the last twenty years, been engaged in the production of first-class educational books, in science, history, and penmanship, which are used in schools in Great Britain and her Colonies. They also produced the well-known Household Tracts and other works, bearing on social, moral, and sanitary subjects. All are printed and bound in their recently-erected workshops in Little London Street. They have also a publishing house at No. 12, Paternoster Row, London.
Norwich merchants carry on a great wholesale business in wines and spirits. The principal firms are Messrs. Barwell and Sons, London Street and St. Stephen’s; Messrs. Norgate and Son, St. Stephen’s; Messrs. Geldart, in Wensum Street; the Wine Company, in St. Giles’ Street; Mr. P. Back, Market Place; Mr. R. J. Morley, Post Office Street; and Mr. J. Chamberlin, Post Office Street; all of whom keep large stocks of wines and spirits.
The brewing business is greatly extending in Norwich. Norwich brewers produce pale ales, which claim to be equal to the Burton, and dispose of 100,000 barrels of London porter yearly. Messrs. Seaman and Grimmer, though not producers, do an enormous trade, and bring in, through Yarmouth,about 14,000 barrels of London porter yearly, and send them all over the city and county.
Messrs. Patteson and Co. produce 100,000 barrels of ale and beer yearly; Messrs. Bullard, 60,000 barrels; Messrs. Morgan, 30,000; Messrs. Young and Co., and other brewers, about 40,000. The annual value of their productions is at least £500,000.
This trade is largely carried on by Messrs. Chamberlin & Sons, Mr. G. L. Coleman, Mr. Rackham, Mr. Henry Snowdon, and a branch house of Messrs. Copestake and Moore, of London. Their trade is in cotton, linen, woollen, and silk goods, plain and fancy fabrics, which are supplied to shopkeepers all over the eastern counties. They bring goods from all the manufacturing districts, and supply them on terms quite as advantageous as the London houses. These goods are chiefly of Scotch, Yorkshire, or Lancashire manufactures, and not produced in Norwich.
Messrs. Chamberlin and Sons, a few years since, rebuilt their premises in the Market Place, which are an ornament to the city. This is the largest establishment for drapery in the eastern counties. On entering the premises from the Market Place, the retail department presents, in all its arrangements, a thoroughly complete place of business. The wholesale and other departments above are very extensive. In the basement of the premises is the wholesale Manchester room, 180 feet in length, for linen goods, blankets, andflannels. There is a separate entrance, in Dove Street, to the extensive woollen cloth department. The carpet room is 44 feet long and 40 feet wide.
The wholesale grocery trade is carried on to a large extent by Messrs. Bream and Bennett, Mr. W. Belding, Messrs. Butcher and Nephew, Messrs. Copeman and Sons, Mr. H. Freeman, Mr. R. Fisher, Messrs. Newson and Co., and Messrs. Pratt and Hancock. This trade disposes of the bulk of the heavy goods brought to the city and sent away from it. The following is the return of the goods, inwards and outwards, for the year ending June, 1867:—
Goods inwards by river
60,000 tons
,, Thorpe Station
30,000 ,,
,, Victoria ,,
22,661 ,,
,, Trowse ,,
17,616 ,,
130,277 tons
Goods outwards by river
100,000 tons
,, at Thorpe
53,000 ,,
,, at Trowse
20,434 ,,
,, at Victoria
7,534 ,,
The manufacture of tobacco was introduced into Norwich in 1815 by Mr. Curr, formerly of St. Andrew’s.Since then the trade has gradually increased, and the various kinds of shag, twist, and cavendish, are now produced to the extent of between 100,000 and 200,000 lbs. yearly, by Mr. Newbegin of Bridewell Alley, and Mr. Kitton on the Dereham Road.
The only cigar manufacturers are Messrs. Adcock and Denham, of Post Office Street, and Mr. Stevens, Back of the Inns. Messrs. Adcock and Denham, are the largest makers in the Eastern Counties, and employ a considerable number of hands. At their establishment may be seen tobacco from various countries, and the curious enquirer will learn, no doubt with surprise, how many distant spots of the earth are laid under contribution to supply the demand which exists for the fragrant weed in the form of cigars—the importations being, amongst other places, from Columbia, Cuba, Havanna (in Cuba), Japan, Latakia, Manilla, Mexico, Paraguay, Porto Rico, &c. The operations, too, are interesting, though not easily described. From the case or bale in which the tobacco arrives, it passes into the hands of the person whose duty it is to soften it—a process which requires great skill and care; for the leaf is generally dry and brittle, and has to be shaken and well separated before the softening can be properly effected. The leaf, having been rendered sufficiently pliable, is next passed over to the “strippers,” whose work is to draw out the thick stem which traverses it from end to end. Then it has to be sorted—the light from the dark, the coarse from the fine—and laid in proper order for the “makers,” who with almost magical rapidity, andby the exercise of great nicety of judgment and manipulation, convert it into cigars of any required size, shape, and weight.
There are several large workshops in this city, for the manufacture of every kind of furniture and cabinet work; and in these, some hundreds of skilled artisans are employed. Among the principal establishments may be mentioned those of Messrs. Trevor & Page, Post Office Street; Mr. C. J. Freeman, in London Street; Messrs. John Crowe and Sons, in St. Stephen’s Street; Messrs. Robertson and Sons, Queen Street; and Messrs. Drew and Corrick, in St. George’s Middle Street. All these establishments supply the best articles for furnishing a house or mansion. The historian who might wish to describe the familiar habits and usages of the present times, could not do better than spend a few hours in our large upholstery warehouses, where may be seen every kind of furniture, from articles which contribute to our homeliest comforts, to others which please the eye by their beauty and good taste. These may be found grouped together in profusion, making the impression on the mind that this must be a wealthy district to require the vast stores of goods kept in Norwich warehouses; but so it is, as every one knows who has visited the dwellings of many of our rich citizens. Luxuries are enjoyed by the well-to-do classes of to-day, which could not be found in baronial halls a few centuries ago.
There are several large builders of carriages, gigs, carts, phaetons, &c., in this city, including Messrs. Jolly and Son, St. Stephen’s Street; Mr. Thorn, St. Giles’ Gates; Messrs. Howes, Chapel Field; Mr. Harcourt, Chapel-Field Road; Messrs. J. and J. Howes, Red Lion Street; Mr. W. H. Howes, Prince of Wales’ Road; Mr. Rudling, St. Martin’s at Palace. Mr. Thorn’s “Norwich Car” and “Norfolk Shooting Cart” are well known all over England. Messrs. Jolly build every sort of useful and fancy vehicle in the best possible style. We cannot here pretend to tell how much the construction of carriages has been improved in the present century, as compared with the old lumbering vehicles formerly in use. Suffice it to say, that by the application of science, English carriages have become the best in all the world.
Messrs. S. D. Page and Sons have built a large warehouse in the Haymarket, where they employ upwards of 100 hands in the manufacture of brushes for wholesale trade. They are also extensively engaged in the paper trade and in the manufacture of paper bags by very interesting and curious machinery worked by steam power, and by which each bag is pasted, folded, cut, and completed in the machine with astonishing rapidity. Three such machines, and several hands, are employed. The bags are made of various sizes and qualities of paper, adapted for the general use of grocers, drapers, confectioners, &c.
Besides the steam flour mills at Carrow works, which produce about 1500 sacks of flour weekly, there are mills in St. Swithin’s and Hellesdon, which also produce enormous quantities. Messrs. Barber and Sons are the owners of the water mills at Hellesdon, and the steam flour mills in St. Swithin’s. The old water mills in St. Swithin’s, the property of the corporation, are in the occupation of Mr. Wells, and are in active operation. There are also many wind mills in the neighbourhood, and water mills abound.
This business is carried on, as before stated, at Carrow works, but the largest mills are at Taverham, a few miles from Norwich. At these mills, vast quantities of paper are produced yearly, of various kinds and qualities, including broad sheets for several influential newspapers. The trade has been greatly increased since the repeal of the duty on paper; but the increase here is nothing to what it has been elsewhere, since the daily newspapers have reached a circulation of hundreds of thousands per day.
Another branch of business, arising from productive industry, is that in soap, of which Mr. Andrews, of Fishgate Street, is a large manufacturer. Within the Norwich Excise Collection, there are several soap makers, who produce immense quantities of an articlewhich is used in the silk, woollen, linen, and cotton manufactures, as well as for domestic purposes. About 300,000,000 lbs. are produced yearly in the Norwich Excise district. The repeal of the duty upon this useful article must have greatly increased the consumption.
About a dozen Norwich merchants carry on a considerable trade in coal. They receive coal inward by river 70,000 tons, by railway 62,000 tons; in all, 132,000 tons annually. The conveyance, at 6s. 8d. per ton, will be £44,000; and the total value, at 20s. per ton, will be £132,000. The principal merchants are Messrs. J. and H. Girling, Mr. Dawbarn, Mr. Pointer, Mr. Coller, Mr. Jewson, and others, who now bring coal by railway from the central coal fields.
A very extensive business in artificial food for cattle has sprung up of late years, but as yet there are only two or three firms engaged in the trade in Norwich. Mr. John Ketton has mills near Foundry Bridge, where he produces about 200 tons of cake weekly, for fattening cattle. The linseed or other seed is crushed by immense circular stones, turned by ingenious machinery. The oil, thus squeezed out, is of great value, and the refuse is made into cake for fattening cattle, and sold at £8 per ton. The oil is of equal value. Messrs. Gayford, Kitton, and Co., have mills at St. Ann’sStaithe, King Street, and produce 100 tons of cake weekly. These two firms, therefore, produce about 300 tons of cake weekly, or 15,600 tons yearly, the whole value being £124,800. The oil being of equal value, the total trade amounts to £250,000 a year. Other city merchants, not producers, send away about 100 tons a-week.
The late Mr. William Stark, of this city, was an eminent chemist, and the first who produced bone manures. His son, Mr. M. I. Stark, continues the same manufacture of manures, made from steamed bones under a process by which all their gelatinous and fertilizing properties are converted into the most suitable form for application to the land. He also produces large quantities of cake, made from linseed and beans. This new article of artificial food has given great satisfaction. The mills are at Duke’s Palace Bridge, Norwich, and Rockland St. Mary. Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Parker also produce other kinds of artificial manure in large quantities.
These trades properly belong to the county, but the transactions in the city are on a large scale. The cattle trade is the great trade in the eastern counties, and more especially of Norfolk. A vast amount of it is transacted on the Castle Hill, greatly to the benefit of the city, as it gives employment to a large number of poor people, and brings custom to many inns, taverns, and business establishments. Norwich Cattle Market is now one of the largest in England, takingthe whole year round, and it is rapidly increasing. The following returns show the extent of the trade in the city and county. The traffic at Trowse Station, from June 1866 to June 1867, was as follows:—
Cattle inwards
57,058
Sheep ,,
76,154
Pigs ,,
9,855
Total 143,067
Cattle outwards
35,083
Sheep ,,
59,063
Pigs ,,
12,493
Total 106,639
Most of these animals are brought to or sent away from Norwich Market.
There are twenty acres of layers belonging to the railway company round Trowse Station, and about one hundred acres of layers close by belonging to private parties. These layers are generally covered with cattle and sheep during the season, from August till November. The valleys of the Yare, the Bure, and the Waveney, afford almost unlimited pastures for any number of cattle and sheep, and the greater part of the lean stock sold on Norwich Hill are brought to be fattened on those pastures. In short, the cattle trade on the Great Eastern lines has been greatly increasing, and is now the largest on any system of railways in England.
Norfolk ranks the fourth in extent, as compared with other counties in England, and eighth as regards population; and it is well known, that since the commencement of this century, the resources of the county, in regard to the production of corn, havebeen greatly increased by an improved system of husbandry. Over a million acres are under cultivation, including 200,000 acres of commons and sandy heaths, which have been inclosed of late years. In 1831, the average yield of wheat was three quarters per acre; but there has been an increase of thirty per cent, since that period.
According to the inspector’s returns of sales of corn in the Norwich Exchange, the quantities and prices have varied greatly in different years, since 1845. In the year ending October 11th, 1845, the quantity of wheat sold was 150,226 qrs., but after the repeal of the corn laws, the quantity was gradually reduced to the year ending October 3rd, 1868, when it was 65,903 qrs. Since 1855, the quantity of barley sold yearly has varied from 120,000 to 177,000 qrs.; and in the year ending October 3rd, 1868, it was 166,796 qrs. Average prices per qr. for 1868. Wheat, 66/9½. Barley, 42/8¼.
The river Wensum flows for a distance of 30 miles from Rudham to Norwich, and winding round the city, flows into the Yare at Trowse. The Yare winds through the eastern division of the county for 36 miles to Yarmouth. The Waveney flows into the Yare at Reedham, and the Bure at Yarmouth. The three rivers, Yare, Bure, and Waveney, are 200 miles in length, and afford means of water conveyance from the city and all parts of East Norfolk to Yarmouthhaven. The inhabitants of that town have made no fewer than seven havens, one after the other, at a cost of millions of money,—enough to have formed the piers and quays of solid granite.
We have already given an account of the proceedings of the corporation of Norwich respecting the improvement of the navigation from this city to Yarmouth and Lowestoft, between 1820 and 1840, and, therefore, will not go over the same ground again. We need only add that the improvement has been continued both by the authorities of Yarmouth and Lowestoft, that the channel over Breydon has been deepened to seven feet at low water, and that a handsome bridge has been built at Yarmouth, allowing of the free ebb and flow of the tidal waters. The harbour at Lowestoft has also been kept open, and the navigation from that port to the city is still carried on by means of wherries and other vessels. These wherries are peculiar to the rivers of Norfolk and Suffolk, and those used on the Yare carry from fifteen to forty tons, drawing from three to four feet of water. The mast is balanced by means of lead, so that one man can raise and lower it, and on this the sail is hoisted, being extended by a gaff. These vessels are well adapted for the windings of the stream, and are generally navigated by two hands, one of them being often a boy, or the wife of a waterman. The corporation has jurisdiction on the river from Hellesdon Bridge to Hardley Cross, a distance of twenty-four miles. This, however, does not interfere with the rights of landowners on the banks, all of whom havetheir respective free fisheries, &c. Ten bridges cross the river in its passage through the city and its suburbs.
Norwich and Yarmouth must ever be united in the carrying trade by water, as the river Yare flows into the sea. From the statements already made, it will be seen that for centuries past Yarmouth has been the chief port of the city and county; that from the city, and various towns in East Norfolk, vast quantities of goods have been annually conveyed along the Yare, Bure, and Waveney, to that port, to be thence shipped to all parts of England; and that Norwich merchants have brought in the larger proportion of their goodsviâYarmouth.
In 1866, an act, the 29 and 30 Victoria, c 242, was passed for “the conservanity and improvement of the port and haven of Great Yarmouth, and the rivers connected therewith, also for the levying and abolishing of tolls and duties, and for other purposes.” This was the last Yarmouth Port and Haven Act, and under it, the tolls have been increased on all vessels coming to Norwich. By clause 144, it was enacted that, “From and after the 25th day of March, 1867, all monies received from time to time by the Norwich corporation in respect of the Norwich tolls, shall be applied by that corporation as follows:—First, in payment of interest on the £4000 secured on the Norwich tolls, or so much thereof as from time to time remains secured thereon; and after and subject to that payment. Secondly, in payment of a compensation to the Norwich corporation for the abandonment and cesser of the Norwich tolls, during the term of seven years,commencing on the 25th day of March, 1867, in sums decreasing £100 yearly, from £700 to £100. Thirdly, on payment of the principal of the mortgage debts of £4000, or of so much thereof as from time to time remains secured on the Norwich tolls.”
Thus, the Norwich tolls will be extinguished in seven years from March, 1867; in 1874.
Roads and railways are as necessary as rivers for the carrying trade, and even more so. Formerly, roads were the chief means of transit, and the great roads in the eastern counties were among the best in England. The Romans made all the great roads from Norwich to Ipswich, Colchester, and London; also from Norwich to Newmarket and London; and many others.
After the commencement of the railway system, the merchants of Norwich and other towns felt that they must be placed on an equality with other parts of the kingdom. Various lines of railways were therefore projected; acts of parliament were obtained; and the Eastern Counties from London to Colchester, the Eastern Union from Colchester to Ipswich and thence to Norwich; the Norfolk from Yarmouth; Norwich to Brandon and thence to London; and the East Anglian lines, were made and opened. Afterwards the East Suffolk line was opened from Yarmouth to Beccles, Bungay, and Ipswich. The Norfolk line was opened in 1845, and caused an entire change in the carrying trade of the district. The quantity of goodssent along the line to London was soon 100,000 tons yearly, and great quantities were sent by way of Ely and Peterborough to the large towns in the north of England, from which also goods are brought to Norwich. It is evident, therefore, that a vast amount of traffic, by sea or land, was transferred to the railway. Goods which, prior to the opening of the line were forwarded by road from Norwich into the interior of the county, were sent by railway as far as Thetford, and thus escaped the tonnage dues; and when the branch lines were opened from Lowestoft to Beccles and Reedham, and from Wymondham to Dereham, Fakenham and Wells, there was a still greater diversion of the traffic. Large quantities of coal were sent by railway direct to Dereham, which soon became a depôt for central Norfolk. From all the towns along its course, the new line took the greater part of the carrying trade. It was soon a prosperous line, and proved to be of great commercial advantage to the city.
The opening of all the new lines immediately caused coaches to be discontinued, and threw a deal of shipping out of employment at Yarmouth, Lynn, and Wells. By railways large quantities of corn and malt were sent to various towns that used to be sent by sea. Goods, too, from all parts of the north of England were brought by railway into Norfolk and Norwich. For a long time the chief part of the salt of England was produced in Cheshire and sent down the river Weaver, which flows into the Mersey at Liverpool, whence it was transhipped to Yarmouth,where the consumption is immense, not less than 10,000 tons yearly being used for curing fish. The greater part of the salt then used in the eastern district was sent from Yarmouth through Norfolk and Suffolk by river conveyance; but since the opening of the line from Ely to Peterborough, large quantities have been sent by railway from Stoke Works, in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, to any station along the lines at the rate of a penny per ton per mile. Thus large supplies of salt have been brought to the city and county. What has taken place in regard to the trade in salt is only one example of what has occurred in reference to the trade in any other kind of heavy goods. The Norfolk main line was not laid out so much with a view to the through traffic from any town to London, as to catch the traffic from the city and county to the Midland and Northern Counties, by way of Ely and Peterborough; and this object was completely attained, greatly to the advantage of the city and county.