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The Saracen Foundry, Possilpark, Glasgow c.1890 The Saracen Foundry was the better-known name for the
Possilpark Possilpark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde and centred around Saracen Street. The area developed around Saracen Foundry of Walter MacFarlane & Co., which was the main employer. In the wake of th ...
, Glasgow–based foundry company W MacFarlane & Co. Ltd, founded and owned by Walter MacFarlane. MacFarlane's was the most important manufacturer of
ornamental ironwork Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil, or architectural feature made of iron, especially one used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork: wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000BC, it was th ...
in Scotland.


Walter Macfarlane

Walter Macfarlane was born in Torrance of Campsie, near Glasgow, in 1817. He worked for the jeweller William Russell, before serving an apprenticeship with blacksmith James Buchanan. He then spent a decade working for Moses, McCulloch & Co's Cumberland Foundry in Stockwell Street. With his own main home at
22 Park Circus, Glasgow 22 Park Circus is a 19th-century townhouse in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. Originally a family home, it was later a club and an Italian consulate. From 1994 to 2013 the building housed the city's register office. Construction The house fo ...
, Macfarlane became a prominent figure in local politics, becoming the President of the Glasgow Liberal Association and a
City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
Councillor. He died in 1885, and is buried in Glasgow Necropolis cemetery.


Saracen Foundry

MacFarlane, with partners Thomas Russell and James Marshall, incorporated W MacFarlane & Co. Ltd in 1850. They took over a foundry works in Saracen Lane, behind the Saracen Head Inn, in the Gallowgate. The foundry had previously (from at least 1825) been in the control of Stephen Miller (father of Daniel Miller). In 1862 the business relocated briefly to Washington Street.


Possilpark

But the business kept growing, and MacFarlane needed a vast area of land on which to build both a foundry and a village-styled infrastructure on which to house his workforce. He agreed a deal with the son of Colonel Alexander Campbell of Possil to buy of his Possil estate in the mid-1860s, including the main estate house where
Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet, (29 December 179223 May 1867) was an England-born Scottish advocate (attorney) and historian. He held several prominent legal appointments. He was the younger son of the Episcopalian cleric and author Archibal ...
the Sheriff of Lanarkshire resided, on which to build his new foundry works. MacFarlane oversaw the removal of all the trees, creating the foundry on , with its main gates at 73 Hawthorn Street. After creating railway access to his foundry from both the
North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...
and the
Hamiltonhill Branch The Hamiltonhill Branch was constructed by the Caledonian Railway in 1894 with the intention to provide a large goods yard at Hamiltonhill on the Forth and Clyde Canal. There was also a branch to the Saracen Foundry but this had to be closed as ...
of the Caledonian Railway, MacFarlane laid out the rest of the park land as streets and houses, including naming the street fronting his factory "Saracen Street." MacFarlane renamed the location
Possilpark Possilpark is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde and centred around Saracen Street. The area developed around Saracen Foundry of Walter MacFarlane & Co., which was the main employer. In the wake of th ...
, which went from being residence to 10 people in 1872, to 10,000 in less than two decades later in 1891. The developing layout of Possilpark was described by the then
Glasgow Town Council Glasgow City Council is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for the Glasgow, City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post ...
as: "Their work is one of the finest and best conducted in Glasgow, and the new suburb of Possil Park, laid out by them with skill and intelligence, is rapidly becoming an important addition to the great city." Ironically, the foundry's pollution earned Macfarlane the nickname "the Laird of Fossiltown."


Design-led expansion

Having joined the firm in 1871, in 1880 Macfarlane's
nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...
, Walter Macfarlane II (1853–1932), became a partner. On succeeding to the position of owner at the death of his uncle, the young MacFarlane set about making design and standardisation the key to the company's development. Subsequently, the Saracen Foundry made to a set of standard designs, a series of decorative iron works, from railings, drinking fountains, bandstands, street lamps, pre-fabricated buildings and
architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
features. To achieve the design edge they required, the firm employed the best Glasgow architects, including John Burnet,
James A Ewing James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
, James Sellars, and
Alexander 'Greek' Thomson Alexander "Greek" Thomson (9 April 1817 – 22 March 1875) was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was ...
. James Boucher was commissioned to design the show rooms of the Possilpark foundry as a gigantic showcase for the products, complete with a glass and iron dome and elaborate decorative castings on its
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
gateway. The works were exported all over the British Empire, and can still be found in abundance in many parts of North Glasgow. Macfarlane's most celebrated work is the in
Alexandra Park, Glasgow Alexandra Park is a public park in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located in Dennistoun, east of the city centre. Named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, it opened in 1870. The highest point of the park gives views north to Ben Lomo ...
, which they gave to the city after exhibiting it in the grounds of the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition. Designed by D W Stevenson, and using casts of the figures around his earlier 1878 statue of John Platt in Oldham, the fountain featured in the firm's advertising. Copies were later commissioned and erected in: Town Hall Park, Warrington (destroyed for the war effort, 1942; a model version in silver is in the collection of Warrington Borough Council); and the Sammy Marks fountain in the National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria, South Africa. In the 1860s,
John Kibble John Westly Kibble (January 2, 1892 – December 13, 1969) nicknamed "Happy", was a Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Naps in . He played five games (four at third base), going 0-for-8 at the plate. His only time on base was a hit ...
designed a conservatory for his home at Coulport on
Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately in length, with a width of between . The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its weste ...
. However, after production at the Saracen Foundry, it was shipped up the
River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
by barge to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, and fully erected at its current location in 1873 by Boyd of Paisley. The Kibble Palace building structure is of curved wrought iron and glass supported by cast iron beams resting on ornate columns, surmounted on masonry foundations. It was initially used as an exhibition and concert venue, before being used for growing plants from the 1880s.
Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...
and William Ewart Gladstone were both installed as
rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
s of the University of Glasgow in the palace, in 1873 and 1879 respectively - its last use as a public events venue, before becoming wholly used for the cultivation of temperate plants. The main plant group is the collection of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n tree ferns, some of which have lived here for 120 years. In 2004 a £7 million restoration programme was initiated, which involved the complete dismantling of the Palace, and the removal of the parts to
Shafton Shafton is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Barnsley (borough), Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with West Yorkshire. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,840, increasing to 3,44 ...
, South Yorkshire for specialised repair and conservation. Owing to their earlier tie-ins with the architectural trade, between the two world wars Saracen Foundry produced many cast-iron panels for commercial buildings, including the former Union Bank on Vincent Street (1924-7); Selfridges in London (1928) and the Art Deco Burton's on Argyle Street (1930). However, the Second World War wreaked havoc on Possilpark in two ways: firstly, by making its industrial works a vast and well-lit target; and secondly when the Minister of Supply and the Ministry of Production made the recovery of iron a key component in increasing war production, removing much of the footprint of Saracen's contribution to the world.


Collapse

After the war, the combination of the collapse of the British Empire, the move away from steam power and the adaptation of new designs and materials meant a vast decline in orders for Saracen's standard designs. The MacFarlane company moved into standard foundry work, including being one of five foundries casting Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's classic K6
Telephone box A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...
for Post Office Telephones. MacFarlane's was taken over by Allied Founders in 1965, which was itself absorbed by Glynwed Ltd. Possilpark was by this time underinvested and rather decrepit, and so the works closed and the infrastructure demolished in 1967. The site is now occupied by Allied Vehicles and Possilpark Industrial Estate.


Piece dispersal

Owing to the long duration of the factory's life, and the wide distribution of their works, Saracen Foundry pieces can be seen in most parts of the world. Those of note include: *Glasgow ** King's Theatre, Glasgow ** Coats Observatory, Paisley *Dundee
Magdalen Green Bandstand
** Garden Railings (design No 830, page 231, Illustrated Catalogue of Macfarlane's Castings. 6th Edition, Volume 1 1890s.) *United Kingdom **
Slough railway station Slough railway station, in Slough, Berkshire, England, is on the Great Western Main Line, halfway between London Paddington and Reading. It is down the line from the zero point at Paddington and is situated between to the east and to the w ...
– roof crestings. ** Wolverhampton East Park – bandstand ** Dartmouth railway station – roof crestings **
Minehead railway station Minehead railway station is situated in Minehead in Somerset, England. First opened in 1874 as the terminus and headquarters of the Minehead Railway, it was closed by British Rail early in 1971. It reopened in 1976 and is now the terminus and ...
, Somerset, England – water fountain. **
Vivary Park Vivary Park is a public open space in Taunton, Somerset, England. The Sherford Stream, a tributary of the River Tone, flows through the park, which is located near the centre of the town. It contains two main wide open spaces, as well as a wa ...
, Taunton, Somerset, England – the main park gates from 1895, and the Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain of 1907. **
King's Hall, Herne Bay The King's Hall is a theatre, concert hall and dance hall at Herne Bay, Kent, England. It was built as The Pavilion in 1903–1904, developed as the King Edward VII Memorial Hall in 1913 in memory of the late king, and was being called The King ...
, Kent – ironwork verandah surrounding theatre vestibule, 1904. **Oaklands Park, Chelmsford – street light column, originally erected in Plymouth and returned to Chelmsford, where light fittings were made. ** Royal Victoria Hall, Southborough, Kent – ironwork verandah surrounding theatre, 1900 (now removed) donated by Sir David Lionel Salomons **
Ward Jackson Park Ward Jackson Park is a municipal park located in Hartlepool, England. It is named after Ralph Ward Jackson, a local industrialist, who founded West Hartlepool in the 19th century. In later life, Ward Jackson encountered financial difficulties an ...
,
Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...
, England – water fountain – donated to the town in 1902 by Alderman John Rickinson Some royal coats of arms can be see in former HM Customs & Excise Offices. The Pembroke Dock Custom House, now Home Home Office Border Force, has a well-maintained example that started life at Custom House Milford Haven. The Fishguard Customs CoA was scrapped by the building maintenance contractor as the mounting was highly corroded. *Other ** Lau Pa Sat in Singapore - interior columns. ** Rondebosch Fountain in Cape Town, South Africa ** Adelaide,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
- The
Elder Park Elder Park is a public open space in the city of Adelaide, South Australia on the southern bank of the River Torrens and that is bordered by the Adelaide Festival Centre and North Terrace. The park is named after the Elder family who wer ...
Rotunda was presented by Thomas Elder in 1881. ** Williamstown, Victoria
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
- The Wilkinson Memorial Drinking Fountain (Cnr Syme Street and Nelson Place). Inaugurated on 17 October 1876 by the Bishop of Ballarat, Dr Thornton, in the presence of the Mayor of Williamstown, ministers of all denominations and over 2000 people, the Wilkinson Memorial Drinking Fountain is the earliest known memorial drinking fountain in Melbourne **Law Courts, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - balustrade of the stairs. **Egmore Railway station, Chennai, India - interior iron pillars and trusses **Library of
Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
, Brasil - balustrade of the stairs. **Theatro
José de Alencar José Martiniano de Alencar (May 1, 1829 – December 12, 1877) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, orator, novelist and dramatist. He is considered to be one of the most famous and influential Brazilian Romantic novelists of the 19th century, ...
,
Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...
, Brasil - front entrance and internal works. **
Estação da Luz The Luz Station ( pt, Estação da Luz, ) is a railway station in the Luz neighbourhood in São Paulo, Brazil. The station is part of the metropolitan rail system run by the CPTM. The station houses the Museum of the Portuguese Language, estab ...
, São Paulo, Brasil **Lauro Sodré Institute (now court of law in the state of Pará), Belém, Brasil - Various iron details. In particular, iron pillars inside the building. ** India, Bangalore (Bengaluru) Karnataka - Lalbagh botanical gardens horticultural exhibition building - cast iron and curved glass construction - foundation stone laid by the Prince of Wales in 1889. **India, Bangalore ( Bengaluru) Karnataka, Cubbon park Band stand - Band stand pillars. **


Replicas

The crestings at Kidderminster Town railway station on the Severn Valley Railway are modern replicas. The patterns for the castings were produced by measurement of broken remnants of those similar ones recovered from Ross-on-Wye railway station shortly after it was demolished. At the request of the structural engineer for Kidderminster Town railway station the replicas were produced in aluminium. These are of a similar pattern to those on parts of Slough Railway station, Dartmouth Railway station and HSBC Bank in Derby.


Gallery

File:Kibblefromtrees.jpg, The Kibble Palace, Glasgow West End File:Pitlochry Railway station drinking fountain. 1970.jpg,
Pitlochry railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = 2018 at Pitlochry station - forecourt.JPG , borough = Pitlochry, Perth and Kinross , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid ...
drinking fountain, c 1970 File:March-Cambridgeshire-9.jpg, Memorial Fountain in
March, Cambridgeshire March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. It was the county town of the Isle of Ely which was a separate administrative county from 1889 to 1965. The administrative centre of Fenland ...
commemorates the Coronation of King George V in 1911 File:Iron Fountain in Paraná Entre Ríos Argentina from Glasgow based Saracen Foundry 1901.jpg, Iron Fountain in Paraná Entre Ríos Argentina donated by British citizens in 1901 File:Plaque close up Saracen foundry fountain 01.jpg, Paraná Fountain Close Up with Inscriptions File:Plaque close up Saracen foundry fountain 02.jpg, Iron Fountain in Paraná Plaque Close up. The plaque reads "Los residentes britanicos de Entre Rios al Municipio de Parana en conmemoracion del Gobierno de S.M. la reina Victoria como prueba de gratitud por el sentimiento demostrado por el pueblo argentino.- Parana Enero 22 de 1901" File:Glasshouse and fountain at lalbagh.jpg, Lalbagh Pavilion Bangalore India 1889 File:Display of lights in lalbagh glass house.jpg, Lalbagh Pavilion at night File:Lalbagh Pavilion Bangalore India.jpg, Lalbagh Pavilion internal view File:Lalbagh Pavilion Iron Manufacturer Bangalore India.jpg, Manufacturer's name on cast-iron upright in Lalbagh Pavilion Bangalore


References


External links


Full history of W Macfarlane & Co LtdPictures of Saracen foundry castings around Glasgow
{{coord, 55.88748, -4.25412, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Defunct companies of Scotland Manufacturing companies based in Glasgow Ironworks and steelworks in Scotland Foundries in the United Kingdom 1850 establishments in Scotland Companies established in 1850