Thornewill and Warham
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Metalwork manufacturing, Engineering |
| Founded | 1740 |
| Fate | Acquired by S. Briggs & Co. Ltd in 1929 |
| Headquarters | Burton upon Trent , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom; international exports including China, Japan, Borneo, India, South Africa, South America, Australia |
Key people | Robert Thornewill (founder), John Robson Warham (partner), Martha Hammond Thornewill (owner) |
| Products | Steam engines, railway locomotives, ironwork for bridges and breweries |
Number of employees | 178 (1861) |
Thornewill and Warham Ltd was an industrial metalwork and metal hardware manufacturer that later evolved into an engineering firm, headquartered in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. Operating under several names from 1740 until 1929, the company gained recognition for producing steam engines and railway locomotives, as well as constructing two pedestrian bridges over the River Trent in Burton.
Early Thornewill hardware production
The Thornewill family had been involved in the iron trade since at least 1732, when Thomas Thornewill (born 1691) was recorded as an 'Iron Merchant'. By 1740, Thomas and his brother Francis had launched a manufacturing enterprise on New Street focused on spades and edged tools.
Clay Mill, once a corn mill abandoned around 1730 and owned by the Earl of Uxbridge, was leased by Thomas Thornewill in 1755 for a yearly rent of 10 guineas. He invested over £300 to convert it into a plating forge designed to hammer iron into thin sheets. The Thornewills acquired Clay Mills outright in 1786 for £3,220.
By 1792, records refer to "Mr. Thornewill, ironmonger, of Clay Mills." By 1829, John and Francis Thornewill were operating as Iron Merchants and Iron and Brass Founders on New Street. John passed away in 1836; Francis died unmarried in 1846, leaving the business to John's son Robert (born 1799).
Formation of Thornewill and Warham
In 1849, Robert Thornewill joined forces with engineer John Robson Warham (born 1820), who had become part of the company around 1842, establishing Thornewill and Warham. Following Robert's death in 1858, his widow Martha Hammond Thornewill (née Wright) assumed ownership of his shares and took charge of the firm.
Development into steam engineering
Before approximately 1845, the company mainly produced iron, copper, and brass items for Burton's breweries. From that point onward, it transitioned into an engineering enterprise specializing as "iron and brass founders and steam engine makers," fabricating engines for local collieries and breweries.
By 1851, Thornewill & Warham was described as "Iron Merchants and Steam Engine, Machinery, etc. Manufacturers," employing a workforce of 75 men and 25 boys. By 1861, this number had grown to 178 employees primarily engaged in producing colliery winding engines and locomotives, supplying most of Bass & Co’s eleven locomotives between 1860 and 1880.
A partnership agreement in 1868 allocated half the shares to Martha Thornewill, five twelfths to her son Robert, and one twelfth to John Robson Warham. After Warham’s death in 1886 and Martha’s in 1889, Robert became the sole proprietor by 1893.
By around 1870, the company was delivering steam engines throughout Scotland, London, and South Wales. Post-1890, it expanded exports of winding, pumping, and hauling engines globally—to collieries, cotton mills, mines, and waterworks across China, Japan, Borneo, India, South Africa, South America, and Australia—supplying at least 329 units.
Engineering in construction
In addition to steam engine production, the firm was distinguished for its construction engineering work, providing much of the ironwork for Burton breweries between roughly 1850 and 1890.
During 1883–84 it erected an iron bridge replacing a wooden footbridge leading to Andresy island. This success led to its commission for building Burton’s Ferry Bridge in 1889—a major project costing just over £10,000—including a viaduct extending to Bond End. The bridge’s design was created by Edward William Ives with support from Alfred Andrew Langley of the Midland Railway.
Robert Thornewill passed away in 1914; his son Robert Surtees Thornewill did not pursue engineering interests. In 1919 Thornewill and Warham Ltd underwent liquidation; subsequently a new company bearing the same name was established. In 1929 it was acquired by competitor S. Briggs & Co. Ltd., a producer of brewing, distilling, and pharmaceutical machinery (now Briggs of Burton PLC).
Legacy
The Burton's Ferry Bridge, which underwent refurbishments during the 1970s and again between 2015 and 2016, continues to serve traffic over the River Trent, alongside the nearby Andresey Bridge.
Several steam engines crafted by Thornewill and Warham are maintained in museums and heritage locations, such as:
- Markham Grange Steam Museum in Yorkshire (featuring an engine produced in 1884 for the Greenall Whitley brewery at Wilderspool, Warrington)
- The former Elliot Colliery site in New Tredegar, South Wales (housing a steam winding engine constructed in 1891)
- Bratch pumping station located in Bilston (with engines dating back to 1897)