When Henry Bessemer and others like him, struggled to bring us into the steel age, Handyside had already established a worldwide reputation for their skills with iron. By this time, they had entered the field of heavy machinery, their products now including locomotives, colliery winding engines, turntables, hydraulic machinery, and agricultural implements. They built railway stations, harbours, docks, metal frame buildings, bridges and viaducts, as far afield as India and Japan. Although now well involved with a new venture in mechanical engineering, Handysides continued to maintain their reputation as iron founders.
In 1876 the citizens of Friar Gate in Derby objected to having their street sliced across by the Great Northern Railway. A few notable buildings would have to be demolished, and the street would have to be bridged. The Mayor had the difficult task of pacifying the residents and persuading them of the benefits of such a scheme. The street was tree-lined and residential, and considered to be the best part of town. An agreement was reached, and Handysides were awarded the contract to carry out the work, in keeping with the street’s pleasant surroundings. The citizens were not disappointed, a magnificent cast iron bridge was erected, the decorative work in the spandrels and balustrade depicting scenes of the town's heritage, and it was described as ‘The most decorative bridge ever built’.
A century later its future was in doubt when the line was closed, but the public had taken the bridge to their hearts, and saved it from demolition. Friar Gate Bridge is a monument to the skill and versatility of Handysides’ workers.
As further periods of expansion took place at the Britannia Works to meet with world demand, the company was now involved with equipping the steel industry with rolling mills, hammers, forges and presses. It also put to use some of these machines for its own purposes, when making the massive steel fabrications required for its civil engineering projects. The famous Barton Swing Aqueduct over the Manchester Ship Canal was built by Handysides, as were most of the other bridges over the 36-mile stretch of water. The well-established publication ‘The Engineer’, in its report on the project said, ‘……..such is the thoroughness of Handysides, that the Aqueduct was actually erected in the works yard and tested beforehand'.
Other examples of Handyside’s elaborate work are the Royal Albert Suspension Bridge, built in London across the river Thames in 1872, and the Trent Bridge at Nottingham. There were also some 450 less spectacular bridges built for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway. Towards the end of the century the company was a leader in the steel construction industry, but even so, many of their ‘new modern structures' had an old world charm about them, with decorative ironwork added to make them pleasing to the eye.
Andrew Handyside died in 1887, but the company continued to flourish under the management of Col Alexander Buchanan. The 20th century saw a downturn in Handyside’s fortunes, and the company ceased trading in 1911. How could such a successful company fail? This question continues to be asked almost a century later, with no certain answers. One thing is certain however, Handyside’s name lives on. Evidence of this can still be seen in the form of their work still in present-day use, monuments to a by-gone age when Handysides were ‘Engineers to The World’. |
