Soho Foundry - listed building
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Soho Foundry - listed building by Chris Allen as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 18 Sep 2010
The famous steam engine builder Boulton & Watt built the foundry in 1796 as the world's first dedicated steam engine factory capable of producing complete engines. Prior to that B & W's Soho Manufactury (demolished) had built the intricate high value parts with large castings being subcontracted and much of the engines being on site joiner work (wood was a major component of the early engines). In 1895 the works closed and was taken over by Avery, the weighing machine manufacturers. Avery, under American ownership, is still in production on what is now a very large site. This building is the foundry, now disused, where castings were produced. Avery's rebuilt this but it does retain some of the original structure and original bricks were redressed and reused in its reconstruction. It is listed and English Heritage paid in part for the structure that is keeping the weather out while its future is up for discussion.