Derby Castings Limited took over Andrew Handyside Limited 1931, here is the letter from them showing the takeover.

Being a Andrew Handyside researcher for 19 years I've managed to collect a vast range of unique very rare items such as this letter from 11th May 1931, This shows when Derby Castings Ltd took over the Britannia Iron Works on Duke Street from Andrew Handyside ltd.

Here is a transcript of what the letter says :

"Dear Sirs,

We have pleasure in informing you that we have acquired as a going concern the business of Messrs. Andrew Handyside & Co., Ltd., of Britannia Iron Works, Derby.

We intend to carry on and improve the existing trade in high grade Grey Iron and Malleable Iron Castings.

The new Board of Directors are instituting very considerable improvements and alterations to the works in order to give the present and new customers the best possible service.

We trust that you will continue to give the new Company your esteemed patronage, in which case we can assure you that every effort will be made to give you entire satisfaction.

Yours faithfully,

FOR DERBY CASTINGS LIMITED.
A. N. B. Stewart
DIRECTOR"

Here is a quick history of the Britannia Iron Works, Derby :

► 1818 Messrs Wetherhead and Glover established The Britannia Foundry, Duke Street, Derby.
► 1847 21st June Andrew Handyside took over The Britannia Foundry.
► 1904 Site enlarged to include new Clarke street works, alongside Duke street and Fox street works.
► 1910 28th September Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd went into voluntary liquidation.
► 1915 A new company of the same name Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd was registered which went into voluntary liquidation on 24th August 1923.
► 1924 Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd was again used to register a company, this final version of the company also went into voluntary liquidation on 13th April 1931.
► 1931 11th May Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd of Britannia Iron Works was acquired by Derby Castings Limited as you can see in this letter.
► 1933 Derby Castings ltd went into liquidation.
► 1936 February The Duke Street works were demolished, all buildings were demolished nothing survived to this day.

Derby Castings Ltd cast wall boxes and lamp boxes for Royal Mail between 1931 and 1933. The 50 Type D and 75 Type E pillar boxes (large and small oval boxes incorporating a stamp vending machine) were also cast by Derby Castings Ltd.
See my enhanced photograph below of a wall box I found made by Derby Castings Ltd in what was originally Mickleover Post office at 22 Western Road, Derby (today a Premier Store). 

You can see at the base of the post box it says "Derby Castings Limited, Derby". I have also found another local one in the wall of Willington Post Office, Derbyshire and one in Allestree on Duffield Road.

Google Streetview of the Mickleover Derby Castings wall box : https://maps.app.goo.gl/bTe3ftaxw2VfEwvR9

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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.

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Thanks
Andy

Outwood Viaduct, near Radcliffe Greater Manchester made by Andrew Handyside 1881

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby made lots of bridges and viaducts around the world, here is one such example near Manchester.

A couple of months ago I made a special trip to see Outwood Viaduct, near Radcliffe Greater Manchester.

The viaduct was built in 1881 by Andrew Handyside and Company of Derby, this was a very late use of cast iron for such a purpose. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway replaced the timber decking in 1923. The railway closed in 1966 and the bridge fell into disuse.

The bridge was restored as part of a project to reclaim disused industrial land for community use and converted into a walking and cycling trail. It was re-opened on 25th June 1999 by Sir William McAlpine, the president of the Railway Heritage Trust. It is now owned by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council.

I made two trips especially to see Outwood viaduct which was a total of 252 miles there and back. A difficult one to capture as the banks of the Irwell are completely lined with well established trees and access down to the river banks is near impossible. So my second visit was with my drone which allowed me to get these great shots of it.

Best watched on a large smart TV as it's recorded in 4K with nice music.

Join my dedicated Andrew Handyside Facebook group to see all the hundreds of items around the world that I have found, so far I have mapped out 101 bridges, 44 fountains, 34 railway stations and I have loads more to research.

Hope you enjoy my video of yet another incredible bit of engineering made in Derby.

Link to my video :

High Road Leytonstone railway bridge, Leytonstone, Waltham Forest, London, UK 1893 made by Andrew Handyside

 Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made bridges for lots of railway stations around the world, here is one such example in London.

High Road Leytonstone railway bridge, Leytonstone, Waltham Forest, London, UK 1893

This railway bridge was made in Derby by Andrew Handyside Ltd in 1893.

The London Overground railway line that runs on this bridge today is known as the Suffragette Line, previously Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBLIN) and before that as Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway.

The Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway Act 1890 and built as joint venture between the Midland Railway and the London, Tilbury and 

Southend Railway. It officially opened on 1 July 1894 with passenger service commencing eight days later and was taken over entirely by the Midland Railway in 1912.

Until 2011 the south side of the bridge was painted with a colourful mural.

Handyside had the contract for lots of bridges on this line aside from High Road Leytonstone they also made the bridges over Skeltons Lane, Hainault Road, Lancaster Road, Samson Road, Acacia Road, Montague Road, Harrow Road, Call Hall Road, Ramsay Road, Thorpe Road, Pevensey Road, Vansittart Road and Strode Road.

Network Rail have already replaced some of those 130 year old bridges as part of an upgrade in 2013 but you can still see them on Google Streetview by setting the date back to 2012.

Network Rail announced in July 2026 that they will be replacing four more Handyside bridges on this line :

Talbot Road, Stracey Road, Strode Road and Latimer Road railway bridges will be demolished in late 2026 installation of the new spans in spring 2027.

The project is due to be completed by late summer 2027 and these new bridges are expected to last until 2150.

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.

Join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group :
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View my Andrew Handyside world map : 

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Follow my Andrew Handyside Blog :

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Join my Andrew Handyside Flickr group : 

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View my Andrew Handyside video playlist : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6EmDnqQPU&list=PLA6EB1C556ABA75AF

Thanks

Andy

Youngstorget Fountain, Youngstorget Square, Oslo, Norway (A replica Handyside fountain made by "street castings Ltd" of Raynesway Derby in 1996)

 Youngstorget Fountain, Youngstorget Square, Oslo, Norway (A replica Handyside fountain made by "street castings Ltd" of Raynesway Derby in 1996)

Here is a perfect example of why it's important to do plenty of research. In Youngstorget Square, Oslo, Norway there is what looks like a Andrew Handyside fountain but the reality is that it’s a replica of the 1862 Stavanger Fountain in Norway which is a Handyside one.

Youngstorget did actually have a Handyside fountain gifted in 1873, it survived until World War II, German forces removed the fountain in 1942 and threw it into the sea in Oslo’s harbour.

Here is a photograph of that original Handyside fountain from the 1920's : 

It was never recovered or located. During the square’s redevelopment in the 1990s, the city decided to restore its old fountain and asked a Derby firm to help.

The replica in Youngstorget Square was made in 1996 by Street Castings, Raynesway, Derby. So it's quite interesting that it was actually also made in Derby!

This replica Handyside fountain is listed as Design Number 19 on Page 18 of the 1879 publication "An Illustrated book of Designs for Fountains and Vases, costing from £1 to £1200 manufactured by Andrew Handyside".

Here is a news article about this replica fountain published 30 years ago in the Derby Evening Telegraph on 22nd January 1996 :

Firm’s 130-year export for Oslo "FOUNTAIN OF TALENTS"

A FOUNDRY has received a £60,000 order from Norway to recreate a fountain built in Derby more than 130 years ago.

Ernest Swift (37), operations director of Street Castings, Raynesway, Derby, has just returned from a fact-finding mission after the request came from councillors in Oslo.

Distributors working for Street Scene, another branch of the company which mainly sells cast-iron street furniture, were given the request while working in the Scandinavian city.

Oslo councillors were envious of a fountain in another Norwegian town, Stavanger, and wanted to recreate it in their capital city.

They discovered the fountain in Stavanger was originally built in 1862 by A. Handyside and Co, of Chester Green.

Managing director of Street Scene, David Thorpe, said: “When the people in Oslo found out, they thought it would be an excellent idea to get their new fountain done here.

“They knew the Stavanger one had been built in Derby and thought it would be a nice idea to get it done in the same city as it was going to be a copy.”

Mr Swift flew to Stavanger with a designer to take pictures of the fountain and make initial sketches.

He added: “We want to make the Oslo fountain as near to the original as possible and it has been quite a job, but we think the finished product will be excellent.”

When the fountain is finished the Derby Company will arrange for it to be shipped over to Norway.

By the time it is installed the total bill for the Oslo council will be close to £100,000.

The order will not create any new jobs. However, Mr Thorpe said: “We have already had two more inquiries from organisations in Norway about our work.”

There are three fountains in Norway, this replica one and two genuine original Handyside ones.

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.

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Follow my Andrew Handyside Blog :

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View my Andrew Handyside video playlist :

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Thanks

Andy

Handyside VR Pillar box : Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made hundreds of Pillar and post boxes around the UK, over time some of these have emerged in other countries around the world such as this one I have found in Virginia, USA !

This Handyside VR Pillarbox was installed in Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA for its grand opening back in 16th May 1975

Does anyone know where it was decommissioned from in the UK?

Anheuser Busch liked to acquire genuine British artifacts to give the park's opening hamlet a sense of historical realism.

You can find this pillarbox in the Banbury Cross section of the park, which serves as the English-themed entrance hamlet.

It sits outside the shops near the replica of the Globe theatre. There is also a British phone box there too.

This pillarbox was made after 1883 as it has the lower aperture for letters.

Brief history of the Pillar/Post/Wall box :
The pillar box was the brainchild of famous novelist Anthony Trollope, he was the surveyor's clerk in the post office in 1851, Trollope was sent over to the

Channel Islands to study ways of improving their postal service. He knew that in France there had been a scheme for roadside letter boxes, and Trollope's idea was accepted.

In 1852 and 1853 pillar boxes were erected in St Helier, Jersey and St Peter Port, Guernsey.

They proved successful and were then tried out in English towns including Gloucester and Carlisle, and in 1855 London had its first pillar boxes. Demand for pillar boxes became very heavy. At first, district surveyors were allowed considerable freedom over the design of the letter box, some were hexagonal and some octagonal. They also had some freedom of choice over contractors. This meant that the early designs were made by a number of contractors and not to standard design.

The surveyor of Derby district found that Handyside could produce the type of boxes he wanted and they undertook commissions for him in 1853. At this time Handyside also seem to have supplied the surveyor for the Eastern District, as two of Handysides 1856-style boxes were installed at Framlington in Suffolk.

The standardisation of the designs by the GPO meant less freedom for local surveyors. The Derby district surveyor tried to get the Post Office to adopt a new design by Handyside put forward in 1857. He argued that the firm would reduce their change by seven shillings a box for boxes without an elaborate crown on the top, provided they have the contract for the whole country. The post office did not like the vertical opening for letters on the design (as per the Lincoln one), nor did they want to have to depend on one contractor. The result was that Handyside did not get any further Post Office work for some time.

In 1878 a decision was taken to adopt a new standard type of cylindrical letter box. This time Andrew Handyside was able to quote the lowest price for the work and they got the contract for supplying two sizes of pillar boxes.

The surveyor of the Dery district stressed that the firm was in a position to do the job well. It had for many years been involved in contracts supplying bridges and railroads to India, Russia and other countries.

The secretary to the Post Office was also reminded that the firm had supplied some of the earliest pillar boxes in the Derby district.

From then until 1933 the firm which in 1931 became Derby Castings Ltd kept the Post Office contract.

Until 1904 they continued to make the two standard sized pillar boxes. This contract then went to McDowell Steven and Co of Glasgow, later Allied Iron founders of Falkirk by then however, they had got contracts which they held until 1933 for double aperture pillar boxes and lamp letter boxes.

The idea for the lamp letter boxes had been borrowed from the USA and Handyside produced the first prototypes by the summer of 1898. Lamp letter boxes were first used in London. It was not until 1933 that the contract for making them went to WT Allen of London and the Sherwood Foundry, Mansfield.

In 1930 at the height of the world depression Handyside actually managed to take from Messrs WT Allen the contract for wall boxes. This contract they only worked on for three years.

Wall boxes were another suggestion of Anthoney Trollope's. They were introduced because the Post Office became alarmed at the cost of providing pillar boxes for sparsely populated rural areas, they were expensive and the wall boxes were found to cost only a quarter of what pillar boxes cost.

Thanks to The Philatelic Bureau of London, Jean Young Farrugia's 'The Letter box', R.D. Woodall's 'Pillars of society', John Heath's "Handysides and G.P.O."

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.

Join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/andrewhandyside

View 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

Follow my Andrew Handyside Blog :

https://friargatebridge.blogspot.com/

Join my Andrew Handyside Flickr group :

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View my Andrew Handyside video playlist :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6EmDnqQPU&list=PLA6EB1C556ABA75AF

Thanks
Andy

Dover - Admiralty Pier, Kent, UK Searchlight emplacement shields 1906-1980s by Andrew Handyside

Dover - Admiralty Pier, Kent, UK Searchlight emplacement shields 1906-1980s

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made some rather unique items such as these metal searchlight emplacement shields in Dover.

Here on Admiralty Pier, Kent, Dover, UK were once some searchlight emplacement shields made by Handyside, they were installed in May 1906. 

These searchlight emplacement shields were mounted on the pier extension, the pier extension was added 1899-1900, the extension was 2000 ft long, increasing the total length of the pier to 4140 ft. These two search lights were installed alongside the new pier turret battery and were used extensively during World War one and two to illuminate the harbour approaches and search for hostile vessels.

The Handyside emplacement shields had a thin vertical slot in them creating a vertical "sheet" or curtain of light. When a searchlight beam is wide open, it projects a massive cone of light. However, if you place a narrow vertical slit over the lens like on these, it reshapes the beam into a thin, tall, vertical wall of light.

By using a vertical slot (often paired with specialized astigmatic lenses), the beam could be focused into a sharp, narrow vertical bar. Operators could sweep this bar across the horizon. It cut through the darkness to illuminate the masts or hulls of incoming boats while minimizing the blinding glare bouncing off the waves.

Instead of actively sweeping the sky and guessing where the enemy might be, crews would lock the searchlight in place, projecting this vertical "sheet" across a known enemy flight path. When an enemy aircraft or Zeppelin flew through this invisible boundary, it would instantly flash brightly against the dark sky. This acted as an optical tripwire for anti-aircraft gunners down the line.

A 1907 plan showing searchlight arcs of illumination

The lights inside these Handyside metal emplacement shields would have been Carbon arc lamps, The Royal Navy and British coastal defences widely used carbon arc searchlights during this era due to the intensely bright light produced by them.

These lamps would produce a large amount of heat, Handyside's metal emplacement shields would have got very hot during operation.

These search light emplacement shields were still in place in the late 1980's.

The ironwork inside Dover Marine Railway Station walkway on this pier was also made in Derbyshire, by The Butterley Ironworks.

My References : Dover Museum, Peter Williams, The Dover Historian.

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.

Join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/andrewhandyside

View 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

Follow my Andrew Handyside Blog :
https://friargatebridge.blogspot.com/

Join my Andrew Handyside Flickr group :
https://www.flickr.com/groups/1531851@N22/

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

Thanks
Andy

Octagonal 1857 Handyside Pillar box, Museum of Lincolnshire life

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made hundreds of Pillar boxes and Post boxes around the UK and Ireland, As of June 2026 there are still over 430 Pillar boxes in the UK that were made by Andrew Handyside which shows how well they were made over 120 years ago.

Here is a rather unique Handyside pillar box in Lincoln, inside the Museum of Lincolnshire life.

This pillar box was originally installed in 1857 outside 17 Sutterton Road (now renamed Gosberton Bank), Gosberton, Lincolnshire, UK.

It was made in Derby between March 1856 and March 1857, It was definitely after March 1856 as this box has the "VR" Royal cipher above the letter slot.

At the base it reads "A. Handyside & Co Derby" and above it is the Britannia Foundry insignia.

Here is a little video of this pillar box : 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cV4IVjWGVFc

It was originally painted green but in 1874 was repainted in classic pillar box red after complaints that it could not easily be seen, especially in rural locations. Here is how it looked : 

There are still boxes around in Ireland that are painted green.

The Land Army girls were billeted across the road from the pillar box in Bank House, which today is Bank house Care Home, they used this very box to post letters home.

The Pillar box was actually still in use up until Covid lockdown was lifted and the museum's opening times were changed, so is now just a museum exhibit.

It was replaced by a modern pillar box in 1969 and the museum acquired it around then. It is one of only three of this Handyside design that still exist.

The two other pillar boxes of this age are located in Framlington, Suffolk.

One here :

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YJkYZiWg7zNWEonK9

And the other one here :

https://maps.app.goo.gl/gMor7PCKH2d2LTcs7

Brief history of the Pillar/Post/Wall box :
The pillar box was the brainchild of famous novelist Anthony Trollope, he was the surveyor's clerk in the post office in 1851, Trollope was sent over to the 

Channel Islands to study ways of improving their postal service. He knew that in France there had been a scheme for roadside letter boxes, and Trollope's idea was accepted.

In 1852 and 1853 pillar boxes were erected in St Helier, Jersey and St Peter Port, Guernsey.

They proved successful and were then tried out in English towns including Gloucester and Carlisle, and in 1855 London had

its first pillar boxes. Demand for pillar boxes became very heavy. At first, district surveyors were allowed considerable freedom over the design of the letter box, some were hexagonal and some octagonal. They also had some freedom of choice over contractors. This meant that the early designs were made by a number of contractors and not to standard design.

The surveyor of Derby district found that Handyside could produce the type of boxes he wanted and they undertook commissions for him in 1853. At this time Handyside also

seem to have supplied the surveyor for the Eastern District, as two of Handysides 1856-style boxes were installed at Framlington in Suffolk.

The standardisation of the designs by the GPO meant less freedom for local surveyors. The Derby district surveyor tried to get the Post Office to adopt a new design by Handyside put forward in 1857. He argued that the firm would reduce their change by seven shillings a box for boxes without an elaborate crown on the top, provided they have the contract for the whole country. The post office did not like the vertical opening for letters on the design (as per the Lincoln one), nor did they 

want to have to depend on one contractor. The result was that Handyside did not get any further Post Office work for some time.

In 1878 a decision was taken to adopt a new standard type of cylindrical letter box. This time Andrew Handyside was able to quote the lowest price for the work and they got the contract for supplying two sizes of pillar boxes.

The surveyor of the Dery district stressed that the firm was in a position to do the job well. It had for many years been involved in contracts supplying bridges and railroads to India, Russia and other countries. 

The secretary to the Post Office was also reminded that the firm had supplied some of the earliest pillar boxes in the Derby district.

From then until 1933 the firm which in 1931 became Derby Castings Ltd kept the Post Office contract.

Until 1904 they continued to make the two standard sized pillar boxes. This contract then went to McDowell Steven and Co of Glasgow, later Allied Iron founders of Falkirk by then however, they had got contracts which they held until 1933 for double aperture pillar boxes and lamp letter boxes.

The idea for the lamp letter boxes had been borrowed from the USA and Handyside produced the first prototypes by the summer of 1898. Lamp letter boxes were first used in London. It was not until 1933 that the contract for making them went to WT Allen of London and the Sherwood Foundry, Mansfield.

In 1930 at the height of the world depression Handyside actually managed to take from Messrs WT Allen the contract for wall boxes. This contract they only worked on for three years.

Wall boxes were another suggestion of Anthoney Trollope's. They were introduced because the Post Office became alarmed at the cost of providing pillar boxes for sparsely populated rural areas, they were expensive and the wall boxes were found to cost only a quarter of what pillar boxes cost.

I would like to thank the Museum Collections Development Manager Sara Basquill for her help and assistance with some information on this item.

Also thanks to The Philatelic Bureau of London, Jean Young Farrugia's 'The Letter box', R.D. Woodall's 'Pillars of society', John Heath's "Handysides and G.P.O."

I can highly recommend a visit to this amazing museum, learn more by visiting their website :

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/history-heritage/museum-lincolnshire-life

The museum celebrates the culture of Lincolnshire from 1750 to present day with over 250,000 exhibits. The building is a Victorian barracks dating from 1857.

I have visited many times over the years, I like their rooms which are furnished with stuff from different decades, they even have a tank from the first world war.

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.

Join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/andrewhandyside

View 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

Follow my Andrew Handyside Blog :

https://friargatebridge.blogspot.com/

Join my Andrew Handyside Flickr group : 

https://www.flickr.com/groups/1531851@N22/

View my Andrew Handyside video playlist : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6EmDnqQPU&list=PLA6EB1C556ABA75AF

Thanks

Andy

Glebe Island swing Bridge, Johnstons Bay, Pyrmont, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Made by Andrew Handyside in 1899

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby made hundreds of different bridges around the world, here is a very special one I have located in Australia.

Glebe Island swing Bridge, Johnstons Bay, Pyrmont, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Located less than two miles from the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge (another bridge for which steel was supplied for by a Derby company, Messrs Eastwood Swingler in their 1924 contract with Dorman Long of Teeside)

I've been researching the work of Andrew Handyside for 19 years and this is quite an exciting find, Glebe Island swing Bridge has often been considered as to be at the forefront of swing bridge engineering upon its completion in 1903.

This bridge is of particular interest as it’s been derelict and left to rot for decades but people want it restored for the community, like our very own Friargate bridge !

Watch this video I made about the bridge, I have used A.I. to bring to life the construction photographs : 

Wouldn’t it be great if both the Glebe Island bridge and Friargate bridge can both be restored for their local communities and maybe twined with each other in celebration of Andrew Handyside, Let’s make this happen.

Swing span under construction in 1902 :

On the Rozelle side, The rest pier and approach span under construction in 1902 :

Logistics of getting Glebe island bridge parts from Derby to Australia in 1899 : 

Handyside’s Fox Street/Clarke Street yard was specifically built for manufacturing large girders and bridges and a featured dedicated, private railway sidings connected directly to the Midland Railway network.

The heavy iron bridge components would be loaded by steam-powered gantry cranes onto standard-gauge railway flat wagons in Handyside's yard.

These wagons would then travel northwest to the Port of Liverpool, Liverpool was generally favored for bulk industrial iron and shipping lines to Australia.

Upon arriving at the Liverpool docks, the railway wagons would be shunted alongside the deep-water berths and high-capacity dockside steam cranes would lift the heavy iron bridge components directly out of the rail cars and lower them into the cargo holds of a waiting merchant vessel.

The sailing route would have been Liverpool to Sydney via Cape of Good Hope, how long the bridge parts were on the ocean would depend on which type of ships were used.

By Cargo Steamship (Most Likely): 45 to 55 days (approx. 6 to 8 weeks). By 1900, heavy industrial "tramp" steamers or cargo liners averaged around 10–12 knots. They would stop once or twice (usually in Cape Town or Mauritius) to take on coal.

By Iron-Hulled Sailing Merchant/Clipper: 80 to 100 days (approx. 11 to 14 weeks). If Handyside were trying to save maximum capital on freight costs and weren't in a strict rush, they might use a large sailing merchant ship. These relied entirely on the trade winds and the "Roaring Forties."

Once the ship arrived in Sydney it would enter Port Jackson and dock at one of Sydney's major commercial wharves, such as Darling Harbour or Circular Quay.

The ironwork would be craned out of the ship's hold onto the wharf. From there, it would be loaded onto horse-drawn heavy dray carts or onto New South Wales Government Railways flatcars to be taken to the final bridge construction site on Glebe Island.

This entire journey would have covered around 15,600 miles and taken upto 3 months depending on ship type and weather conditions.

This bridge was opened on Wednesday 1st July 1903 by Miss Lily See, daughter of the then-Premier Sir John See (a prominent Australian politician)

The bridge was reported to have opened 5499 times just in its first year of operation, That’s 15 times a day !

The Glebe Island Bridge operated with little interruption from 1903 to 1995, when it was decommissioned upon the opening of the adjacent ANZAC Bridge. 

The bridge was in sound, operable condition at the time and was assessed as being too significant to be demolished.

It was printed in The Derby Mercury on Friday 27th November 1925 :

"Many residents will remember the Glebe Island swing bridge, gracefully and serenely revolving" in Handyside's Fox Street yard, prior to shipment to Australia in 1899.

The National Trust (NSW) listed the Glebe Island Bridge on our National Trust Register in 1987, and it was also added to the State Heritage Register in 2013.

Since it was decommissioned, Glebe Island Bridge has remained closed and unused for the past 31 years and has fallen into a state of disrepair. 

The National Trust has called for its repair and conservation (re-activation) many times over the last decade

There are plans to build 8500 homes near the bridge (The Bays West Precinct) and local groups are keen to get the bridge reopened for this new community. This is a similar story to our Friargate bridge.

Learn more about their bridge on this website :
https://www.glebeislandbridge.com/

After 1995 the bridge has remained in the open position and was operated and used for access by cyclists in the annual Spring Cycle 

in October until 2008. Since that time, the bridge has been closed on average 3 times a year to test the swing span mechanism.

Total length of the bridge is 193 feet, with a width of 50 feet, 40 feet for the roadway and two 5 feet footways.

Total weight is 490 tons, The diameter of the roller track and drum is 35 feet
Engineer in chief for public works, New South Wales C.W. Darley Esq., M.I.C.E.

The cabin, controller and wiring were burnt out in a fire in 1982 and has been replaced by a reconstruction of the cabin and a more modern electrical arrangement than the original tram type controller.

The Bridge is moved by a pinion bearing on a crown wheel, which is part of the roller track.
During a power failure the Bridge can be moved manually. 

The ends of the span move at 6km/hour and have a 25mm clearance where they meet the fixed trusses. The Bridge was designed to swing in 46 seconds and the delay to road traffic to be from 4 to 7 minutes.

The control cabin sits above the parapet at the centre of the south side of the span. 

It is 4.36m long, 1.68m wide and 2.56m floor to ceiling. It is supported on eight cast-iron columns and a heavy timber frame about 2.8m above the bridge deck. There are decorative cast-iron Handyside friezes spanning between the columns.

I hope they managed to get this bridge restored and put back into operation as a community asset.

My reference sources :
Page 5 of the 1905 Catalogue "Steel & Iron structures made and erected by Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd Derby and London reproduced from photos taken on the spot." The many Structures made and erected by Andrew Handyside & Co., Limited, between 1884 and 1903.
Derby Mercury 27th November 1925.
A Brief History of the Rolls-Royce Foundries Site by Tony Ruff Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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Andy

The Houndgate Fountain, Darlington, County Durham, UK 1858

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made decorative fountains around the world, here is one such example in Darlington.

The Houndgate Fountain, Darlington, County Durham, UK 1858

How it looked in the 1890's in Joseph Pease's gardens, note it has lost the hexagonal cast iron base with the six lion head waterspouts surrounding it : 

How it looked in 2023 having lost most of its original parts : 

This fountain has been located in many different places in its life and has lost a lot of its original features over the 168 years since it was made by Andrew Handyside.

I have listed a complete history of its locations below.

The fountain (or rather what’s left of it) is currently located on Houndgate, it has been there for 62 years. 

Its sited in a little square on the corner of Houndgate and Bull Wynd. Here is a unique photograph of the fountain from above in 2023 : 

But it was originally installed in 1858 on Darlington Marketplace (the top of Tubwell Row) - Dedicated to Mr Edward Pease.

In 1862 it was moved to the grounds of Joseph Pease's property near Avenue Lodge in Southend.
Looking at photographs from the 1890's it had lost the hexagonal cast iron base with the six lion head waterspouts surrounding it, replaced with a sandstone base with carved flowers running up it.
In 1937 it was again relocated, this time to Harewood (later renamed to Green Park), Oakdene Avenue.
In 1960 Green Park was opened to the public.
In 1964 the fountain was vandalised, it lost its cherubs from the top, the top basin and the Dolphins that support the basin so it was decided that it should be moved to protect it from further damage.

I have conflicting information about the dates of the fountain’s relocation to Houndgate, one source says it was moved in 1964, where as the historical information plaque that used to be on the brick surround stated it was moved there in 1970 to celebrate the centenary of the Northern Echo.

Does anyone have local knowledge of when it was actually relocated to Houndgate?
Also does anyone know what year the water stopped running in the fountain?

Here is a photograph of it when it was still in working order : 

Locally it seems to sometimes be referred to as the "Tubwell Torrentor" not sure why.

This particular design of fountain is listed as Design Number 19 on Page 18 of the 1879 publication "An Illustrated book of Designs for Fountains and Vases, costing from £1 to £1200 manufactured by Andrew Handyside" : 

There was a plaque on the fountain which reads "It was moved to Houndgate in 1970 and presented as a gift from the North of England Newspapers to mark the centenary of the Northern Echo first published in Darlington on the first of January 1870." This plaque seems to have vanished around 2014, was it stolen?

History of this fountain :
1858 Darlington Marketplace (today this is the top of Tubwell Row)
1862 Southend grounds - Avenue Lodge (Joseph Pease's house).
1890 Lost the cast iron base with the lion head water spouts, replaced with a sandstone base
1937 Harewood (later renamed to Green Park), Oakdene Avenue
1964 Vandalised : lost its cherubs and Dolphins and top basin.
1970 Moved to Houndgate
2009 No longer a working water fountain.
2014 The 1970 history plaque lost.
2019 The brick water basin filled in with soil and planted.

The Engineer printed November 1856 :
We had an opportunity on Wednesday last of seeing a fountain, designed by Mr. Handyside, and executed at his works, the Britannia Foundry, Derby.

This elegant structure has been erected for Mr. Pease and will be placed in a stone basin in Darlington Market-place. It will stand on a granite pedestal two feet above the level of

the water. It is made of cast-iron. At the top, at a height of 14 feet from the base of the metal part, are figures of two children embracing each other, and betwixt them a bell-shape jet is fixed which delivers a circular cascade, enveloping the figures and falling into an elegantly designed vase or basin. This basin is surrounded by six lions’ heads, from the mouths of which six jets descend into a larger basin. The top basin is supported by three dolphins, from the nostrils of which six jets arise, which intersect the others. These are received into a large and hand-some basin, which is supported upon a tastefully designed pedestal, having in each of the four square compartments a large lion’s head, from the open mouths of which the water is ultimately discharged  into the stone basin.

--

My references :
The Engineer - November 21st 1856 Page 642
A walk in the park by Chris Lloyd Page 155/156

--

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Electricity junction boxes made by Andrew Handyside which look like their Pillar boxes

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made electricity junction boxes around the world, there are still several examples of these in the UK such as : 

Liverpool Road, Ainsdale, Formby
King's Gardens, Southport, North Meols
School Avenue, Formby, Sefton, Merseyside
Scarisbrick Avenue, Southport

I have seen them in different colours, Red, Green blue and even black with gold highlights such as the one in the middle of the roundabout on Liverpool Road, Ainsdale Formby : 

These cast iron pillar-box structures (similar to a UK pillarbox) are an Electricity junction boxes (sometimes refered to as a feeder pillar)

The "cap" or lid features a decorative finial, and the body has two hinged doors and the lock hole on the right of teh doors to allow engineers access to the internal wiring. There are doors on opposite sides each with a crest of arms such as the one in Southport : Salus Populi (Suprema Lex): This is part of Southport’s motto, meaning "The welfare of the people (is the highest law)."

It is made of heavy cast iron, designed to withstand the elements and provide a secure, fireproof housing for high-voltage cables and fuses.

At the time, there wasn't a standard "look" for electrical infrastructure. Since companies like Handyside were already mass-producing post boxes using the same casting techniques, it was cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing to use a similar "pillar" silhouette for electrical junctions. It allowed the new technology to blend into the Victorian streetscape without looking too industrial.

I have a news article from The Derby Mercury on Wednesday 11th March 1896 which reads  :

"A DERBY CONTRACT FOR SOUTH AFRICA.—The Corporation of Durban, the port of Natal, have accepted tenders for installation of the electric light throughout the town. Amongst them is the tender of Messrs. Andrew Handyside and Co., of Derby, for 70 cast-iron junction boxes at 7s. 6d. each; 400 cast-iron service boxes at 26s. each; 70 cast-iron manhole frames, &c., covers, at 30s. each; and 100 spare porcelain blocks and 100 blank flanges."

So I wonder if any of those electrical junction boxes still exisit, if you live in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and have seen a Handyside electrical junction box please get in touch.

I found this old newspaper article from some years ago where people were asking what these items were, maybe they will find my post about them here.

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Puerto Madero Mooring bollards, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America c1888

 Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made lots of things you may not associate with them such as street furniture.

Here is one such example in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Here in Puerto Madero (Madero Port), Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America you will find lots of Mooring bollards around the dock that were made by Andrew Handyside as you can see in my photographs.

Towards the end of the 19th century, due to the rapid growth of its population and its trade, Buenos Aires needed a port. In 1882 Eduardo Madero, a merchant from Buenos Aires, presented a project to build the port. Engineer Huergo objected to the project and presented an alternative. Despite the general opinion that Huergo's project was better, the government approved Madero's plans, the works began in 1887 and ended 1897. The Handyside Mooring bollards have probably been in place for at least 130 years and have been left as part of the heritage.

There could be other Handyside items around this area as there are numerous bridges and fountains in Argentina which I have seen over the years.

In 1989, the 170 hectares of the old port were urbanized, in the radius located between Brasil street, Ingeniero Huergo and Eduardo Madero avenues, Cecilia Grierson boulevard, Riachuelo and South Dock. The old red brick merchandise warehouses developed by Eduardo Madero were rescued from abandonment and recycled, respecting their port style. In these large sheds that span several blocks, restaurants were gradually installed, then corporate buildings and commercial offices multiplied, and finally residential apartment buildings were built.

Today this area is known as Puerto Madero Waterfront and is a vibrant area known for its glass skyscrapers, luxury apartments, restaurants and nightlife as you can see by the drone photographs of this dock in 2025.

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Gas Works Road, Reading, Berkshire, UK made by Andrew Handyside in 1884

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made iron/steel work for lots of railway stations around the world, here is one such example in Reading.

Gas Works Road, Reading, Berkshire, UK made by Andrew Handyside in 1884.

This road bridge was built for the Reading Gas Company and goes over the River Kennet, Today this road is for cyclists and pedestrian use only.

This skew lattice road bridge was built for the Reading Gas Company, for the purpose of connecting its works with a new site of about 13 acres. The bridge also carries 24" gas mains across the road.

On the brick section at the end of the bridge is a large cast iron Borough of Reading coat of arms cast by Andrew Handyside : 

The large gasometer you can see in the older photographs (Gasholder No.4) was demolished in 2022.

Here is a photograph taken from a plane in 1922 showing the bridge and the Gasometer : 

2021 view :

Design drawings for the bridge :

My Reference: The Engineer May 29th 1885 Page 423 :

"This bridge has been erected over the river Kennet, at Reading, near its mouth adjoining the Thames, by the Reading Gas Company, for the purpose of connecting its works with a new site of about 13 acres, and for carrying the necessary mains from the present to the new works. 

The bridge is on the skew at an angle of 42 deg., and the span between the piers from centre to centre is 107ft.; the main girders are 119ft 8in. long and 9ft 6in. deep, the top booms being 2ft. 6in. wide and the bottom booms 1ft 9in. wide and 23ft. 9in. apart, centre to centre, giving a clear way over the bridge of 22ft. 

The cross girders are 2ft deep at the centre, placed 5ft. 2in. apart, on the top flanges of which are riveted the wrought iron buckled plates, which have a rise of 3in. in the centre, the longitudinal joists being supported on T-iron bearers. The ends of 

the main girders rest upon Bessemer steel rollers and cast iron bed-plates planned on the surface. 

It will be observed that two 24in. mains, which are of wrought iron with flanged joints, are carried outside the main girders by the stiffening brackets in order to give the regulation height over the river without increasing the level of the roadway of the bridge more than necessary. 

These mains are loosely laid upon the webbing of the stiffeners, and are free to move with the expansion or contraction of the bridge or with the slight vibration of a passing load, and each main is provided with an expansion joint on both sides of the bridge. In practice these mains are thoroughly gas tight—not always attained on bridge work—and are, of course, at all times exposed to view. 

The lattice bars and various other parts are of the various dimensions figured on the detail drawings. The bridge has been erected from the specification and plans of Mr. Edward Baker, the engineer to the Reading Gas Company, by Messrs Andrew Handyside and Co. of Derby"

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Audleys Wood Hotel, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. Decorative iron roof made by Andrew Handyside in 1880

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made ironwork for many buildings and hotels, a lot of their building ironwork is structural and can’t be seen but here is one example where their ironwork was made to be on view, quite a unique Handyside find this one.

Audleys Wood Hotel, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK.

This hotel is in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It was built in 1880, Originally the Neo Gothic Renaissance mansion of auctioneer Thomas Pain (director of the bloodstock auctioneers Messrs Tattersalls). 

In 1989 it was converted to a 4-star 72 bedroom hotel surrounded by woodlands and seven acres of private grounds.

Great to see they have left all the fine ironwork on show, all made in Derby at the Britannia foundry 146 years ago.

As you can see in the photographs, there is lots of ironwork on show here. Round cast iron support pillars with square capitals, decorative riveted rafters, decorative cast iron spandrels surrounding the doorways etc.

This ironwork was originally painted black, but they have now painted it cream to match the walls, it all looks rather splendid.

A potted history of this building : 

1880 Built.

1887 Owned by William Bradshaw.

1900 Henry Adolphus Simonds purchased the estate.

1944 Owned by Viscount Camrose, the editor and proprietor of The Daily Telegraph.

1951 The house and gardens were sold to the county council, who ran Audleys Wood as a home for the elderly and a workshop for the disabled. 

1989 Converted to Audleys Wood Hotel.

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Lodge Road bridge, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, UK. Made by Andrew Handyside in 1896

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby also made lots of other bridges around the world such as this road bridge in St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, UK.

This bridge on Lodge Road over the railway lines was built in Derby by Andrew Handyside in 1896.

There were originally 4 tracks running under this bridge, today there are 3 one is Marylebone to Harrow on Hill (The Great Central line)

Handyside also built the road bridge 0.3 miles southeast over the same railway line at Rossmore Road (Marylebone station)

It was repainted in 2011 in blue and white...

It's a single span bridge of 101ft and a width of 53ft. on the South east side of the bridge the railway tracks are overground, on the North west side the bridge the railway is underground.

My reference : The Engineer 1896
"On the west side of St. John's Wood-road Station, a fine iron bridge by Messrs. Andrew Handyside and Co., of Derby and London, is just 

completing. This carries Lodge-road over the new line, and has separate footways on each side outside the main girders. 

It is the last over-bridge so far, being immediately succeeded by three temporary ones carrying the line over the canal. Hardly a house is now left on the great area south of this, and there seems every probability that it will be brought into use as a coal depot some time 

before passenger traffic begins. A good deal of the old brickwork of the demolished houses, we observed, is being broken up on the spot as if for road metal. It would probably make excellent ballast, as it would drain well and not turn readily either to mud or to dust."

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A foot powered treadle grinder made by Andrew Handyside c1878

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby made lots of items you probably would never have even thought about such as farming machinery.

Here is one such example: a foot powered treadle grinder in Australia.

"Mr. Phillips" is the inventor of the grinder, it dates from before 1878. I have seen a winding wheel with Phillips' on it too.

Here are some other item that Handyside made that you may not have know about : Smith's Hearths, Forges, Winding Engines, Agricultural equipment, Lathes, Motorcar cylinders, Steam vessels, Carriage wheels, Locomotive tenders, Cotton pressing machines, Water Cranes and Coal Trucks to name but a few.

Photos courtesy of Cliff Overton, thanks to Joan Picone.

If you know of any other farming machinery out there by Handyside please get in touch.

My reference : The Engineer issued 1878.

PHILLIPS’ TREADLE GRINDER.
MESSRS. HANDYSIDE and Co., of Derby, exhibit at the Islington Show, among other things, the neat little grinding machine, the invention of Mr. Phillips, which we illustrate, for sharpening reaper knives and such like. The grinder can sit at his work, and use both feet on the treadle, and is consequently able to work much quicker and better than is the case when he has to stand balancing on one leg and work the treadle with the other. This is a decided improvement. The cost of the machine is very small.

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