Round-headed cast-iron windows, Great Northern Classics (formerly Victoria & Railway Ironworks of Messrs Eastwood Swingler and Co), Derby, Derbyshire, UK 1855

Round-headed cast-iron windows, Great Northern Classics (formerly Victoria & Railway Ironworks of Messrs Eastwood Swingler and Co), Derby, Derbyshire, UK 1855

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made Cast iron window frames, here is one such example in Derby in the former Victoria & Railway Ironworks of Messrs Eastwood Swingler and Co, today the buildings are used by Great Northern Classics.

The windows are design 2838 in Handyside's window catalogue B page 582.

There are three buildings remaining of Eastwood & Swinglers Foundry and they all feature distinctive tall round-headed fine single cast-iron windows made by Andrew Handyside in 1855, There are a total of 25 Round-headed cast-iron windows in these buildings.

Mr H. Cordery, who worked for Handyside's in 1926, tells of one ingredient which, together with the fine moulding sand, may have contributed to the quality of the castings.

The first job of the young lads had to do every morning was to fetch manure in barrows which they brought from the railway yard on Mansfield Road over St Mary's bridge ready to be milled up with the sand!

This practice of mixing manure with casting sand still takes place today as confirmed in a recent YouTube video I saw by Tom Scott when he visited John Taylors bell foundry in Loughborough : 

https://youtu.be/GpaNijzRaJI?si=QlQfVpk6eSzPVdVk&t=281

By 1873 Handyside offered 1500 cast window designs, costing between 15s and 20s per cwt. They produced larger windows chiefly for industrial use and were considerable skill to the firm.

To produce, as they did, a frame 11 feet by 6 feet in a single casting is an undertaking that would tax many present-day foundries.

Andrew Handyside took over the Britanna Foundry in 1848 from Weatherhead and Glover who had already established a reputation for good quality cast iron windows.

Cast iron windows made in Derby are all over the world but tracking them down is extremely difficult as detailed records for such things made 180 years ago.

Other buildings known to feature their cast iron windows are St Johns church Derby, St James church in Shardlow and St Johns church in Ashbourne.

The Victoria & Railway Ironworks of Messrs Eastwood Swingler and Co existed from 1855-1925, a lot of the buildings were cleared but these three bays remain today.

In 1924 Eastwood & Swingler Ltd ceased trading and in 1928 the ‘Swingler’ section (GNC’s building) of the Ironworks was converted into a bus garage and later, a trolley bus depot, for Derby Corporation.

Throughout this period Rolls Royce operated in the rest of Victoria Ironworks and during the Second World War used the site as the base for its research into large structural castings in magnesium alloys. This ultimately led to work on compressor castings for early centrifugal jet engines. Victoria Ironworks was home to this development.

1935 aerial view of the buildings when it was used as the bus depot :

The company’s commissions included beams for Sydney Harbour Bridge, the market hall in Singapore, Bennerley Viaduct, railways in Japan, Sweden and St Petersburg and as many as 235 bridges in India. Much of this infrastructure still stands today – and it was cast here, at Victoria Ironworks.

The bus depot closed in 1961, whereupon Rolls-Royce took over the entire site, Great Northern Classics then took over the site in 2023.

My references :
Page 48 of "Handyside's Cast Iron" a study by Richard I.C. Taylor June 1985, Nixon 1969, Page 196 Gloag & Bridgewater and A Brief History of the Rolls-Royce Foundries Site by Tony Ruff Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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If you know of any items (apart from Post boxes) in the world bearing the Andrew Handyside badge that I have not marked on my world map then please let me know.

My Andrew Handyside world map : 
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My Andrew Handyside Facebook group :
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My Andrew Handyside video playlist :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6EmDnqQPU&list=PLA6EB1C556ABA75AF

Thanks
Andy

Doncaster Railway bridge over the River Don, made by Andrew Handyside 1894

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby made hundreds of different bridges around the world here is one such example located in Doncaster.

Doncaster Railway bridge over the River Don made in 1894

There are not many photographs of this bridge due to its location but fortunately I was on a Northern Rail train service on Sunday morning and the train just happened to stop just outside Doncaster railway station adjacent to this bridge so I was able to take some photographs of it.

This railway bridge was made by Andrew Handyside in 1894, it carries the East Coast Mainline railway line over the river Don just 450 Metres north of the station.

It consists of two sections of lattice girders with three strengthening girders across the top. I noticed that the eastern span has had some repair work to the girders across the top, they have had modern steelwork over the top.

The span across the river is about 30 metres.

North Bridge Road passes over the southwest corner of the western railway bridge span. The original (1910) North Bridge Road used to cross the railway on a level crossing at ground level but was rebuilt in 2003 to pass over the railway.

This railway bridge is identified as ECM1-330-3

Doncaster Railway Station is quite a substantial station with many lines passing through it to its 9 platforms.

Map location of this bridge : https://maps.app.goo.gl/YeUZ8i8UaCbiFKL46

My reference source: Page 62 - IMG_10026.JPG 3rd September 2010, and Img_0153.jpg I.C.E. P.H.E.W. Newsletter No 37, March 1988

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If you know of any items (apart from Post boxes) in the world bearing the Andrew Handyside badge that I have not marked on my world map then please let me know.

My Andrew Handyside Facebook group :
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My Andrew Handyside world map : 
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My Andrew Handyside Flickr group :
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My Andrew Handyside video playlist :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6EmDnqQPU&list=PLA6EB1C556ABA75AF

Thanks
Andy

Pillar box, High Street, Hull made by Andrew Handyside c1883

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made hundreds of Pillar boxes and these are still all over the UK, here is one such fine example in Hull.

Derby's Andrew Handyside made the iconic cylindrical British pillar box from March 1879, in 1883 they had to change their design as letters and packets were getting trapped in the top of the box so they changed the design by moving the posting aperture a few inches lower down on the box. This pilar box in Hull has that lower aperture design so it was made after 1883.

High Street in Hull's Old Town is a premier filming location frequently used as a double for Victorian and Dickensian London due to its well-preserved cobbled streets and historic architecture, a few recent things filmed there are Enola Holmes 2, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Bodies, A Royal Night Out, Victoria, The Crown, National Treasure.So keep an eye out and you may notice this very Handyside pillar box on the big screen !

Here is a video of the pillar box and its location on High Street : 

Video of the Pillar box High Street Hull made by Andrew Handyside c1883

Google maps location of this pillar box : 
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GVMYJGjVc8N87FL57

Please share this post to anyone you think would be interested.

If you know of any items (apart from Post boxes) in the world bearing the Andrew Handyside badge that I have not marked on my world map then please let me know.

My Andrew Handyside world map : 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?hl=en&mid=1OAACWtSS9PyrJqZ5Ebpy1yb527nkRFk7&ll=52.90829433369387%2C-1.4515525777722327&z=10

My Andrew Handyside Facebook group :
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My Andrew Handyside Flickr group :
https://www.flickr.com/groups/1531851@N22/

My Andrew Handyside video playlist :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6EmDnqQPU&list=PLA6EB1C556ABA75AF

Thanks
Andy

Manchester Central railway station (now Manchester Central Convention Complex) built by Andrew Handyside 1880.

Andrew Handyside, who made Friargate bridge in Derby didn’t just make bridges, Fountains and Pilar boxes they also made hundreds of roofs for railway stations and buildings, here is one such example.

Manchester Central railway station was built between 1875 and 1880 by The Cheshire Lines Committee and was officially opened on 1st July 1880.

The massive wrought iron truss structure roof was made by Andrew Handyside & Co, it is 550 feet long with a span of 210 feet and 90 feet hight at the apex consisting of a total of 2400 tons!

It was Grade II* listed in 1963

The station finally closed on 5th May 1969 and the building fell into a dilapidated state and was damaged by a fire. 

It was then acquired by Greater Manchester County Council and in 1982, work started on repurposing the building into an exhibition centre called GMEX.

It was then rebranded in January 2007 as The Manchester Central Convention Complex (MCCC), I was fortunate to visit this structure when I went to Manchester Beer festival in 2020 and got my video footage.

It’s a very impressive building and it’s great to see Handyside's ironwork still around 146 years after it was made at the Britanna foundry in Derby.

Hope you enjoyed this post, please join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group if you would like to see more of Derby's Handyside work around the world.

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Thanks
Andy

Newstead former GNR railway bridge, Nottinghamshire made by Andrew Handyside in 1881

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby made hundreds of different bridges around the world here is one such example located in Newstead, Nottinghamshire, UK.

The bridge is located to the east of Newstead village, it carries the former Kirkby to Bagthorpe GNR railway line over Station Avenue which was originally the main access route to Newstead Abbey.

The railway line here opened in April 1898 and closed in the 1930s?

The span of the bridge is 25 feet.

The bridge was Grade II listed 27th April 1987

As you can see it has pretty much the same decorative spandrel as Trent Bridge, not quite as ornate but the very same design : 

The simplest way to go and visit this bridge is to catch a train to Newstead railway station

and then walk north up Station Road to Tilford Road and turn right over the railway tracks and then right again down Station Avenue, around the left bend and you will see it ahead of you.

Cast iron and rockfaced ashlar. Chamfered plinth. Single segmental headed arch with pierced spandrels and dentillated sill.

Moulded iron balustrade with cusped lancet openings.

Here is a little video I made of the bridge : 

360 degree view of the bridge as seen from Station Avenue : 

360 degree view of the bridge from the top :

Hope you found this post of interest. 
Andy

Former Leeds Infirmary Winter Gardens made by Andrew Handyside 1868

Andrew Handyside Ltd of Derby who made Friargate bridge also made lots of roofs for buildings around the world, here is one such example.

The Former Leeds Infirmary Winter Gardens 1868

In this short video I have used A.I. to resurrect some old photographs and illustrations of the former Leeds infirmary winter gardens.

The Leeds General Infirmary Winter Garden was a magnificent, glass-roofed central courtyard built in 1868, inspired by London's Crystal Palace, featuring gothic-style arches, exotic plants, and a Andrew Handyside fountain.

Designed to be a therapeutic, airy space for patients, it also hosted the 1868 National Exhibition of Works of Art.

Known officially as the Central Court, it was a big part of the hospital’s early years, hosting the official opening of the building on 30 May 1869 by HRH The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII on 1901).

The impressive roof structure was 151 feet long, 63 feet wide and 60 feet high and featured 150 tons of ironwork, all made in Derby by Andrew Handyside Ltd.

The construction of this building is peculiar, involving no “thrust” upon the walls; the main roof, which is really carried by the four corner rafters, having its thrust taken by the parallelogram of lattice girders connecting the heads of the twelve columns.

Page 89 of the 1868 second edition "Works in Iron by Andrew Handyside & Co, Britannia Iron Works, Derby states that type N cast-iron capitals were used on the 12 support columns in Leeds Winter Gardens :

In 1911 the roof, which had created significant maintenance problems, was dismantled, but the space remained in use as an open-air tennis court as late as 1963

Today this area is known as Leeds Wellbeing Garden.

A real shame the roof only lasted 43 years before being demolished but I hope my video gives a sense of what it looked like at the time.

My source reference :
Page 91 of the 1868 second edition "Works in Iron by Andrew Handyside & Co, Britannia Iron Works, Derby and 32 Walkbrook, London. Published by E.&F.N. Spon 48 Charing Cross."

Hope you found this of interest, join my Facebook group to keep up to date with my latest Handyside finds around the world :

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Andy

Blacksmiths Forges at Underfall Yard workshop Bristol made by Andrew Handyside

Blacksmiths Forges at Underfall Yard workshop Bristol made in 1884

Andrew Handyside Ltd of Derby who made Friargate bridge didnt just make bridges and fountains, they also made lots of stuff you may not know about such as forges !

The Britannia foundry in Derby had many forges at the time and I guess it was inevitable that they would also sell them but not many examples of them have survived the 142 years since they made them so it was really good to see these three forges in Bristol. 

I would like to say a massive thankyou to the staff at Underfall Yard for opening up the workshop for me to see them as it was closed when I visited.

In 19 years of researching Handyside stuff I have only found two places that still have intact Handyside Forges, the other place is Combe Mill in Oxfordshire, the forges at Underfall are in excellent condition as you can see below. If you know of any other forges made by Handyside around the world then please get in touch.

The three Andrew Handyside forges in a line : 

Andrew Handyside makers badge on the hood of the forge : 

Here is a little video I made in 2025 of the forges at Underfall Yard :

Here are examples of forges and hearths that Andrew Handyside used to sell, from their sales brochure of the time : 

Here is a 360 degree photograph I took for Google Streetview in front of one of the forges : 

I can highly recommend a visit to Underfall Yard if you are down that way, see their website for more information : https://underfallyard.co.uk/

Click here for a map location for Underfall Yard, Bristol, UK

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Andy