John Lysaght and Co. facts for kids
| Industry | Iron and steel |
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| Fate | acquired by GKN |
| Founded | 1857 |
| Defunct | 1921 |
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John Lysaght and Co. was a big company that made iron and steel. It started in Bristol, England. Later, it grew to have factories in other cities like Wolverhampton, Newport, and Scunthorpe. Another company called GKN bought John Lysaght and Co. in 1920.
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Meet the Founder: John Lysaght
John Lysaght (1832–1895) was born in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland. His family owned land and was quite well-off. John went to school in Bristol, where he became friends with the Clark family.
In 1856, John Lysaght bought a small business from the Clark family. This business used a special method called "hot-dip galvanisation." This process put a protective zinc coating on iron. It helped stop the iron from rusting.
How the Company Started and Grew
John Lysaght renamed the business "John Lysaght Ltd." At first, it had only six men and one boy working there. Lysaght made the business bigger. He bought iron sheets and then galvanised them. This was perfect for the many new factories being built.
He chose "Orb" as his special brand name. "Orb" corrugated galvanised iron sheets became very popular. People really wanted them. Demand grew so fast that in 1869, Lysaght bought a much larger piece of land. It was at St Vincent's, Netham, Bristol.
By 1878, his new factory had 400 workers. It made 1,000 tons of galvanised iron sheets every month! The company also started making parts for buildings out of iron. These parts were sent all over the world from Bristol.
In 1878, the company bought an old factory in Wolverhampton. Two years later, they bought another nearby factory. Together, these factories helped Lysaght's make 40,000 tons of rolled iron sheets each year. A lot of this iron was sent to Australia.
John Lysaght even traveled to Australia in 1879. He started a new company there called Lysaght (Australia). In England, John Lysaght's became a limited company in 1881. This meant it could grow even more in Bristol and Wolverhampton.
Growing Bigger: The Company Expands
John Lysaght's nephews, Sidney Royse Lysaght (1856–1941) and William Royse Lysaght (1859–1945), joined the company in the late 1870s. W.R. Lysaght was in charge of making the company bigger. S.R. Lysaght, on the other hand, became a writer of books and poems.
Just before John Lysaght passed away in 1895, the company bought land in Newport, South Wales. They planned to build a new factory there for rolling metal.
The Orb Ironworks in Newport
The Orb Ironworks in Newport opened in 1898. By 1901, most of the machines and many workers from Wolverhampton had moved to Newport. For many years, newspapers from Wolverhampton were even delivered to Newport! The factory's football team also became the start of what is now Newport County AFC.
Under W.R. Lysaght, the Newport factory had 3,000 workers, including 600 women. It produced 175,000 tons of metal each year, mostly for sending overseas. Daniel Connor Lysaght (1869–1940) became the factory manager. He helped the company start making special electrical steels. They did this by working with the Joseph Sankey Company.
In 1912, the company opened its own steelworks. This meant they no longer had to buy steel from other companies. This new steelworks was called Normanby Iron Works. It was located at Normanby Park, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. It made 6,500 tons of steel every week. This steel was then sent to Newport to be rolled.
By 1913, the Newport factory had 42 mills, powered by six huge steam engines. The factory's tall chimneys were a famous sight. The number of blast furnaces at Scunthorpe grew to four in 1917.
The W.R. Lysaght Institute
At Newport, the Orb steel works employed over 3,500 people at its busiest time. The W.R. Lysaght Institute opened there in December 1928. It was built to remember W.R. Lysaght's fifty years as the company's chairman. It also celebrated how much the workers helped the company succeed.
The company and its workers both helped pay for the Institute. It was built on 8 acres of land near the factory entrance. It offered many fun things for staff. These included a ballroom, tennis courts, a bowling green, and beautiful gardens.
The Institute closed in 2001 and became run-down. A company first bought the land to build houses. But later, it was sold again. In 2008, Linc-Cymru bought it. The building was fixed up and reopened in November 2012. Now, it is a community center for everyone to enjoy.
Main Factory Locations
- St. Vincent's Iron Works, Bristol
- Swan Garden Works and Osier Bed Works, Wolverhampton
- Orb Iron Works, Newport
- Normanby Park Steel Works, Scunthorpe
Images for kids
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Iron platform canopy of Hounslow Central. There is still a plaque showing the maker's mark near the platform stairs.
