Night and Morning vase, Restored in 2014. Swiss Gardens, Shuttleworth Collection, Bedfordshire, UK

The restoration team have done an excellent restoration on this vase, so good to see Handyside's work being looked after like this.

This is a Night and Morning Vase by Andrew Handyside, which is based on Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Night and Day plaques.

The Swiss Gardens have had a £2.8 million revamp thanks to the Heritage Lottery fund. There are 13 listed structures on the site and the Handyside vase is one of them.

The Britannia Foundry established a reputation with ornamental work, it was well known for producing elaborate vases. They had great success at the 1851 Great Exhibition.
They also achieved a Gold Medal "Ornamental Fountains and Vases" at Birmingham in 1872, and at the 1871 Cordova Exhibition in Argentina.
Handyside had their own dedicated catalog for fountains and urns which I have a copy of which is very useful in my research of Andrew Handyside work and identifying its products around the world.

For the 1862 International Exhibition in London they provided a cast iron fountain and several vases. One of these vases was the "Night and Morning" vase, this is the model that
you can see wonderfully restored in the Swiss Gardens here.

This is Vase Design No. 23 on Page 60 of my 1879 publication "An Illustrated book of Designs for Fountains and Vases, costing from £1 to £1200 manufactured by Andrew Handyside"

A photograph of the restored vase :




Here is this model of vase in my 1879 publication "An Illustrated book of Designs for Fountains and Vases, costing from £1 to £1200 manufactured by Andrew Handyside" It provides dimentions and good views of the amazing design :





Here is a page from the The Art Journal Catalogue of the International Exhibition 1862 and it shows four items that Andrew Handyside exhibited at the show. Their "Night and Morning Vase" is in the top right of the page.

The Art Journal Catalogue of the International Exhibition 1862.

Here is a photograph of the very same vase before its restoration:




Here is another photograph of the vase in April 2011 before its restoration :
https://flic.kr/p/9BG7Hi

Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this vase on the world map. 
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it. 

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other vases around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Reading Town Hall, Berkshire, UK. Horseshoe gallery Ironwork made by Andrew Handyside in 1880.

Reading Town Hall was officially opened on 31st May 1882, it was Grade II listed in 1976. Refurbishment started in 1986 and was completed in 2000.

Today this building is used as the Museum of Reading and has a large concert hall with conference rooms.The ironwork made by Handyside is located in the Main Hall. They made the Horseshoe shaped gallery in the hall. You can't really see the ironwork as its hidden but you will see in the technical design drawings below how important the ironwork is in this building.

Google streetview outside this building.

Here is a photograph taken in the hall viewed from directly under the gallery, as you can see the ironwork is enclosed in decorative wood.



Reading Town Hall is 98 foot long by 60 Foot wide. Three sides of the hall are furnished with a horseshoe shaped gallery projecting out by without any support columns!
The gallery projects out by 10 foot down two sides and by 16 foot at the end, the whole structure stands 11 foot from the floor.
It covers an area of 2140 square foot and weighs 80.892 tons.

The iron structure utilises a clever branch-and-root construction method, it was designed to be able to stand on its own but also cope when full of people.

Tests were performed at The Britannia Iron Works in Derby to ensure that it could cope with the stress, they loaded it with 50,000 bricks, weighing 9lbs each!

Max am Ende was the civil engineer for this job, He specialised in Ironwork structures.
The ironwork was manufactured in Derby at the Britania Ironworks by Andrew Handyside & Co under the direction of Ewing Matheson.

Here are the technical design drawings for the gallery in Reading Town Hall. They show how the gallery balcony is constructed :








My Reference : Page 2-4 of The Engineer journal from July 1st 1881.

I would like to thank Michael Thomas of adp-architecture who was involved in the restoration of Reading Hall, this took 20 years and started in May 1981.

Michael says "I can tell you that I saw practically everything that was done in that hall and my recollection is that the steelwork was almost certainly installed as shown on your drawings. 

This is what triggered my interest.  I don’t know if you have any engineering knowledge, if so you would be surprised by the slenderness of the steels below the floor as shown in your figure 9.
The reason is simply that they sat on hefty brick cross-walls in the lower ground floor; this is in marked contrast with the uprights built into the hall walls. It was a clever solution and I have attached a diagrammatic cross-section which should help. In short the steelwork was continuous and consisted of:
· The beams under the concert hall floor sitting on brick walls. These went across the whole hall and thus reduced the bending moment hugely and acted as a tie.
· There would have been huge rotation when these floor beams met the uprights, hence you see massive steelwork at lower left junction. And you will have noticed the very deep steels embedded in the 3’ thick walls.
·  Thus the structure was very rigid when it reached the point of cantilevering the balcony. The fact that the balcony is stepped also gives room for added stiffness.

This is a Grade II Listed Building and there is little scope for alteration this part of the structure. Neither was there any need. The steel was in good condition too. However there was minimal ventilation and when full the hall would have been stifling.

When we came on the scene the balcony was out use as the fire escape arrangements were inadequate. We had to be quite cunning and introduce two new exits and now one would be hard pressed to distinguish new from old. Also we had to introduce some form of ducting for fresh air.

In the event we put new ducts for blown air in the void within the balcony and intermittent outlets at the step risers. This was very challenging as it had to be blown almost noiselessly!

My recollection is that some modifications were made to the steels in two larger voids to accommodate the ducts and give access for maintenance; there are also a few trap doors in the floor at the highest level for access only. Of course the steel is covered up now as it was never intended to be exposed.

My firm will be 50 years old this year and is running a blog featuring 50 projects highlighting its history.
They are quite short and here is the one for Reading Town Hall: http://www.adp-architecture.com/blog/40-countdown-to-50

You may find this interesting as there is a different view of the concert hall.

I have given you a pretty full reply and I think you can be certain that the steelwork was installed as Handyside’s drawings and has stood the test of time very well.
You may not know that there was a strong move to sell the site around 1974 after Local Government reorganisation and permit demolition for a new commercial development!
The whole complex was listed as late as 1976.

I hope you find all this of interest.
Best wishes,
Michael"


More information:
Reading Museum (formally Reading Town Hall)

Hope you enjoyed this new Andrew Handyside discovery.

Thanks
Andy

Old Drinking fountain Alum Chine, Westbourne, Bournemouth, UK built by Andrew Handyside in the 1880s

Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made lots of fountains. These fountains were made right here in Derby at the former Britannia Ironworks on Duke Street.

The Britannia Foundry's work was well known throughout the Victorian Era for its fine quality, so these fountains can be found all over the globe but where exactly they are located is difficult to find out. But thankfully because of my extensive research here, people are beginning to contact me with details of Handyside work. I am then able to add it to my Handyside world map and this blog, where I can go into great details about every item I find including historical information, Photographs from Flickr, Videos from Youtube, Exact map locations, Google Streetviews etc.

Here is one that I found last year but was waiting for someone to take some better photographs of it for me, thankfully Alwyn Ladell from Bournemouth has now taken some great shots of it which I can now share.
This Disused Drinking Fountain by Andrew Handyside is located on the beach at Alum Chine, Westbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.

This particular design of drinking fountain is listed as Design Number 24 on Page 42 of the 1879 publication "An Illustrated book of Designs for Fountains and Vases, costing from £1 to £1200 manufactured by Andrew Handyside".
The price for this fountain is listed in April 1880 as between £18 0s 0d and £20 5s 0d depending what finish was applied (no finish, bronze/marble paint etc).
According to the drawing its 6 foot 7 inches from the base to the bottom of the lamp support and includes a animal drinking trough in the base. Looking at the photographs of this fountain it does still have those on place unlike the Curling Drinking fountain in Eastbourne.

Its a real shame that this Victorian drinking fountain has been allowed to get into this sorry state.
This is probably around 140 years old and has been left to rot. I'm very surprised that this has been allowed to happen, perhaps the council don't realise what they have here! Is it even listed? 
Perhaps if you live in this area you should let someone who cares know about this neglected fountain.

This fountain is missing the water spout, the two cup holders and the lamp on the top. It DOES however still retain the Handyside plaque which the Eastbourne fountain does not.

Photographs of this old drinking fountain.

Front view of the drinking fountain showing the two intertwined dolphins on the top, Looks like the lamppost has rotted away.


Angled view of the fountain, at this angle you can see one of the animal drinking troughs in the base.


The "A. Handyside & Co Ld" plaque located at the top of the fountain just below the dolphins.


The Handyside logo located on the ??????? of the fountain.


Photograph of the fountain from 2009 by Martin R :


A Postcard from 1926 showing the fountain, probably in working at this time :


I found another photograph of this fountain on Geograph.

This exact same model of drinking fountain in great condition can be found in Eastbourne, see my blog post on this other fountain here - Eastbourne fountain.


Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this fountain on my world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Fountains around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Steel Building and Windows of former Rolls-Royce Motor Works on Nightingale Road, Derby built by Handyside in 1907. (now Demolished)

NOTE : This no longer exists! The entire factory site apart from the facade was demolished and cleared in 2011.
The Derby firm Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also manufactured steel structures for buildings around the world. Here in my dedicated blog to this company I am detailing every item I can find manufactured by them.
The steel fabricated building and Windows of former Rolls-Royce Motor Works on Nightingale Road, Derby built by Andrew Handyside in 1907.

This steel fabrication project was one of the last commissions by Andrew Handyside before the untimely collapse of the company.
In 1907 Royce himself wrote to Derby Solicitor C.R.B. Eddowes...

"Mr Royce and Mr johnson are of the opinion that if the work of erecting the buildings is entrusted to such a firm as Messrs Handyside of Derby it would be quite unnecessary to employ an architect to prepare drawings or to supervise the erection of the buildings as Messrs Handyside are engaged and have for some years been engaged in erecting buildings of a similar nature and are thoroughly competent and trustworthy firm"
(Nixon 1969, page 171)

As a side note - The Derby Solicitors used by RR back then are still going today www.ewlaw.co.uk !

This particular project was delevered to this site from Britannia Iron Works using horse and cart! well it was a local delivery !

Below are some photographs of the Rolls-Royce Motor Works on Nightingale Road, Derby, Derbyshire, UK. The original factory which opened (officially) on 9th July 1908 consisted of what became known as Number 1 shop. In those days RR only made cars. Aero engines were to come later.

Andrew Handyside fabricated the steel structure and also the windows for the RR Motorworks here on Nightingale Road.

Photograph showing the facade of the RR building on Nightingale Road.


These Photographs courtesy of Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust.
A view inside the building showing the structure of the building by Handyside.


Another view inside the building showing the structure of the building by Handyside.



The aerial view photo doesn’t show the commercial block which stood between the workshop & Nightingale Road. The commercial block was built in 1912 so the photos are of an era between 1908 when the factory opened and 1912 when the commercial block was built.



As you can see in the view from above the site was massive (click on "Sat"):

View Larger Map


Google Streetview:
The Google streetview car has captured this location well and you can see the facade of the building. See it HERE.

Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this bridge on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any items around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Chapelfield Road and Union Street viaducts for Manchester Piccadilly railway line built by Andrew Handyside around 1840.

The Derby firm Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made many hundreds of other bridges of many different sizes around the world. Here in my dedicated blog to this company I am detailing every item I can find manufactured by them.
In Manchester there are many viaducts that cross roads leading into Manchester Piccadilly Railway Station. Some of these viaducts have the plaque "A. HANDYSIDE & Co Ld Derby & London".
Thanks to Google Streetview its possible to wander around these viaducts to inspect them for Handyside plaques.
I have managed to find two that still have the plaques. These are over Chapelfield Road and Union Street. I dare say some of the other viaducts into this station may well have been made by Handyside but the badges have fallen off.

Manchester Piccadilly (Manchester London Road until 1960) is the principal railway station in Manchester,
The station opened on 8 May 1842 as Store Street station and as Bank Top station, The station was then renamed London Road station in 1847, London Road station. It was then renamed yet again to Manchester Piccadilly when it reopened after reconstruction on 12 September 1960.

Handyside plaque on the viaduct carrying the railway lines into Manchester over Chapelfield Road.

Chapelfield Road Under the viaduct leading to Piccadilly Station

Google Streetview:
The Google streetview car has captured this location well and you can clearly see the Andrew Handyside plaque on the ironwork. See it HERE.
Also the plaque on Union Street viaduct too HERE.

Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this bridge on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other bridges around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location,photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Fountain in Pearson Conservatory, St. Georges Park, South Africa, Made By Andrew Handyside about 1882.

Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge also made lots of decorative fountains. These fountains were made right here in Derby at the Duke Street Foundry "Britannia Iron Works". Andrew Handyside exported many decorative fountains around the world during the Victorian era.  The Britannia Foundry's work was well known for its fine quality so these fountains can be found all over the globe but where exactly they are located is difficult to find out.

Here is one I found last year but decided now was a good time to post about it due to the fact that I've just seen it in the background of a TV Advert !!!
This Handyside fountain is located inside the Pearson Conservatory, St. Georges Park, South Africa. It was made in Derby around 1882.

This particular design of fountain is listed as Design Number 15 on Page 30 of the 1879 publication "An Illustrated book of Designs for Fountains and Vases, costing from £1 to £1200 manufactured by Andrew Handyside".  Its the same design as the one at Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, Australia. and the one at Sarmiento School Fountain in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, South America.

Photograph of the Handyside fountain :

The TV Advert for Truvia sweetener that features this fountain.


The advert was filmed in St. Georges Park, South Africa, the advert is set in a greenhouse originally brought from Scotland in 1882. Filled with hundreds of locally grown Stevia plants, the scene brought beauty and nature together in perfect syngery. In the advert Ebony Buckle, a classically trained singer takes centre stage as she sings ‘Truvia® Scrumptious’ to the tune of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s iconic ‘Truly Scrumptious’.

Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this fountain on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Fountains around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Former New Brighton Tower, Wallasey, Merseyside, UK Built by Andrew Handyside in 1896 (now Demolished).

NOTE : This no longer exists! It was completely demolished in 1919.

Update : October 2022, Darren of the YouTube channel AdventureMe has made a really interesting and details video about this wonderful structure, highly recommend you watch it :

https://youtu.be/Z27vSyceY4Y

You may have seen this on Episode 7 of the BBC2 TV Series "Britain's First Photo Album - Liverpool to Blackpool" shown on Tuesday 20th March 2012.

Did you know that Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made the Structural steelwork and cast-ironwork for many buildings around the world and they were made right here in Derby at the Britannia Ironworks.

The New Brighton Tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower (Paris, 1889) and built as the centre of a popular amusement park and pleasure garden. Located near Liverpool in Wallasey, Merseyside.

At the time, this was the highest structure in England !

It was begun in 1896, finished about 1900 at a cost of £120,000. The architects were Maxwell and Turk of Manchester

According to my 1904 guide published by Andrew Handyside the tower was 574 Foot high (From the ground to the top of the Cooper Ball on the flag-staff) and the base was 143 foot wide.

The weight of Steel used in the Tower is 1,760 Tons
The weight of Steel in the buildings surrounding the tower is 650 Tons.
Handyside designed it with an octagonal cross-sectional design unlike the simple square plan used on Blackpool Tower (518 feet, built 1894).

In the building which surrounded the base of the tower was a ballroom and other popular assembly spaces.

The tower had four lifts to take sightseers to the top of the structure at a cost of 6d.
From there you could see for miles around including the Isle of Man, part of the Lake District and the Welsh Mountains. The Tower attracted a half a million people in its opening year.
During the first world war the steel structure was neglected and became rusty through lack of maintenance and the cost of renovating was more than the owner could afford.

The top portion of the structure commenced to be dismantled on 7th May 1919 and was completed by June 1921 (see the photographs below)
The brick portion comprising of the Ballroom and Theatre remained, together with the turrets. During the Second World War the basement was used as a communal air-raid shelter.
The remaining parts of the surrounding buildings were destroyed by fire in 1969, the entire area was redeveloped as River View Park. Nothing remains of this site.


Photographs of this Victorian Tower built by Andrew Handyside.


Photograph by Noctorum.

Photograph by Andrew Handyside at the time of construction of the lower section of the tower from 1897 :

1912 Souvenir Guide for the New Brighton Tower and Amusement Park.

Photograph by Noctorum.

New Brighton Tower Guide Cover.

Photograph by Noctorum.

Photograph showing the tower during its demolition 1919-1921.

Photograph by Les Ward.

A video "Wallasey - New Brighton Tower's Rise & Fall"
From 1897 to 1969, when the Tower met its final demise. This short pictoral history video captures what has gone and in many ways been forgotten.

Video by Parapiranha.

Learn more about New Brighton Tower here :
http://www.liberator31.co.uk/wallasey/towergrounds/index.html


My Reference :
Page 38 of Steel & Iron Structures Made and erected by Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd of Derby and London. Published 1904.

Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the original exact location of this tower on my world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other items around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Shoe Lane road bridge, Holborn Viaduct, London Built by Andrew Handyside in 1869.

The Derby firm Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made many hundreds of other bridges of many different sizes around the world.
On a recent trip to London while investigating some other work by Andrew Handyside I found a bridge with some lions heads on it and wondered if it was by Andrew Handyside so had a real good look around and managed to find a makers badge on one of the panels. It reads "A. Handyside & Co Britannia Foundry Derby". This bridge is located on Holborn Viaduct and goes over Shoe Lane.

Photographs of this bridge.
A vew of the decorative panels on the top of this bridge as seen from the A40.


Another view of the decorative panels showing the 3D lions heads.


One of the decorative cast iton Lions Heads


A view underneath from Shoe Lane


Another view showing the construction of the bridge from underneath


The decorative cast iron scrolls


The makers badge "A. Handyside & Co Britannia Foundry Derby"



Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this bridge on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Google Streetview has captured this bridge HERE.

Can you help find more Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other bridges around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Derby Castings Limited GR Wall Box on Western Road, Mickleover, Derby made in 1933.

Did you know that Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made thousands of iconic Pillar boxes for the UK and Ireland? I doubt many people are aware of this fact that they were made right here in Derby at the Britannia Ironworks on Duke Street, Derby.

Handyside had the Post Office Contract to make pillar boxes from 1878 to 1933 (1931-1933 known as Derby Castings). So its highly likely that at some point in your life a letter will have been posted via a Handyside box.

Here is one such example of a Wall Box that was made at the Britannia Ironworks in 1933. This one is still in constant use to this day. Its located in the wall outside a shop on Westrn Road, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire, UK. The GR is the Royal cipher for King George V.

Manufacture of cast-iron wall boxes in the UK for postal use finished in 1980.

Photographs

Photograph showing the location of the Wall Box outside the shop on Western Road


Photograph showing the complete wall box.


Photograph showing the Royal Cipher and makers badge "Derby Castings Limited, Derby"


Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this Wall Box on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Google Streetview of this wall box.

Can you help find more Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Pillar Boxes around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

My world map showing all the locations of items made by Andrew Handyside & Company of Derby and London.

I started this mapping project about a year ago with the odd item I knew about but over the months I kept finding more and more items by Andrew Handyside around the world. In February 2011 I decided to create this dedicated blog to the work of Andrew Handyside, this allowed me to go into great details about each item and link it to my world map.

Each marker on my map indicates an item that was manufactured in Derby at the Britannia Ironworks by Andrew Handyside & Co, I have also included any items marked as Derby Castings Limited as these were also made at the same foundry.

I have used different coloured markers for different items as follows.
Yellow = Bridges
Purple = Railway Stations/Roofs/Buildings.
Blue = Fountains/Vases/Urns
Red = Pillar Boxes/Post Boxes/Wall Boxes
Red Triangle = Location of item no longer present (demolished).


Down the left side of the map you will see all the markers, you can scroll this list down and simply click on an item to make the map highlight the location. A pop up window will show when you do this giving more information on the item.

or you can simple drap the map around and use the mouse wheel to zoom in on places and then click on a marker to learn more.

See my Andrew Handyside world map here, Just click the link below :

World map of items manufactured by Andrew Handyside & Co.
or..
Map showing items made by Andrew Handyside & Co, Zoomed in over the U.K.

I hope you found my map of interest. If you know of anything out there around the world made by Andrew Handyside that I have not yet mapped out here then please get in touch so I can add it to my map.

Thanks
Andy

Derby Castings Limited GR Wall Box on Willington Post Office made in 1933.

Did you know that Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made thousands of iconic Pillar boxes for the UK and Ireland? I doubt many people are aware of this fact that they were made right here in Derby at the Britannia Ironworks on Duke Street, Derby.

Handyside had the Post Office Contract to make pillar boxes from 1878 to 1933 (1931-1933 known as Derby Castings). So its highly likely that at some point in your life a letter will have been posted via a Handyside box.

Here is one such example of a Wall Box that was made at the Britannia Ironworks in 1933. This one is still in constant use to this day. Its located in the wall outside the Post Office on The Castle Way in Willington, Derbyshire, UK.
The GR is the Royal cipher for King George V.

Manufacture of cast-iron wall boxes in the UK for postal use finished in 1980.

Photographs

Photograph showing the location of the Wall Box outside Willington Post Office


Photograph showing the complete wall box.


Photograph showing the Royal Cipher and makers badge "Derby Castings Limited, Derby"



Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this Wall Box on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Google Streetview of this wall box.

Can you help find more Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Pillar Boxes around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Lamppost, Cathedral Green, Derby made by Andrew Handyside in 1893.

Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made lots of other cast iron street furniture items such as lampposts. These lampposts were made right here in Derby at the former Britannia Ironworks on Duke Street.

Next time you visit Derby Cathedral Green where Derby's Museum of Industry and History is located, stop and have a look at the ornate Lamppost located near the top of Silk Mill Lane near the Old Silk Mill pub.

This lighting column was originally located on Museum Square on the Wardwick but re-erected at this location on the 10th October 1993 to mark the centenary of Derby's first public electric lighting scheme.
It is the ONLY surviving example of the columns used in this scheme and is close to the side of Derby's first electric power station.
In 2008 it was taken down and put into safe storage while the Derby Cathedral Green was being created, It was re-erected in 2009.

This lamppost is 30’ high, 2’9” diameter swan neck, with moulded pendant. Heavily moulded lower section, with applied Derby Borough Council Crest also manufacturers name "Andrew Handyside, Derby".
A few months ago I photographed another Handyside lamppost which is in the museum stores.

Have a real look all around at this Handyside lamppost using my interactive 360 degree photograph below. I created this show in 2009 when the newly created Derby Cathedral Green had just opened.
360 degree Virtual Reality Photograph. <--Click to view it.

Photographs of the Handyside cast Iron Lamppost.
A view showing the complete lamppost and its location.


A view of the top of the lamp post with the ornate decoration.


A close up of the finely detailed casting on this lamppost. Showing the Borough Council crest of arms.


A close up of the Andrew Handyside badge and year of manufacture.


Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this lamppost on my world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.
No Google Streetview for this item due to the Google car driving past during the Cathedral Green makeover so it was in storage at the time !

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Lampposts around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Pillar Box in London Zoological Gardens made by Andrew Handyside between 1887-1901

Did you know that Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge in Derby also made thousands of iconic Pillar boxes for the UK and Ireland? I doubt many people are aware of this fact that they were made right here in Derby at the Britannia Ironworks on Duke Street, Derby.

Handyside had the Post Office Contract to make pillar boxes from 1878 to 1933 (1931-1933 known as Derby Castings). So its highly likely that at some point in your life a letter will have been posted via a Handyside box.

Here is one such Pillar Box in the grounds of London Zoological Gardens.
On the front of this box is a "VR" which is the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria. This would have been manufactured in Derby sometime between 1887-1901.

This pillar box has been converted to a money box, you can put money in the slot to donate to the Tiger SOS charity : http://www.zsl.org/tiger-sos/

What a great paint job they have done to this Handyside box!!

Photograph of the amazing paint job :

Photograph by Sludgegulper.

As you can see this box used to be orange in 2005, I prefer the new paint job to this one as
its much more eye catching.

Photograph by PSD.

Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this Pillar Box on the world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Pillar Boxes around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Handyside Fountain in gardens of Temple Newsam House, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK

Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge also made lots of decorative fountains, they were renowned for their high quality and much sort after around the world. Many examples of their work are still in use today.
These fountains were made right here in Derby at the Duke Street Foundry "Britannia Ironworks".

Andrew Handyside exported many decorative fountains around the world during the Victorian era.
The Britannia Foundry's work was well known for its fine quality so these fountains can be found all over the globe but where exactly they are located is difficult to find out.
Thankfully because of my research here people are beginning to contact me with details of Handyside work, I am then able to add it to my world map. It really helps my research being able to use Flickr to see these items for myself.

This fountain is located in the gardens of Temple Newsam House in Leeds. The fountain was Grade II listed on 5th August 1976. As you can see in the photographs below its not in bad condition apart from one of the Lions hears seems to be damaged.

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". This same design of fountain is in Tucuman Argentina.

Video
A short video of the Temple Newsam Fountain working. Click the PLAY button to view it.


Photographs
Photographs of the Temple Newsam Fountain:
1) Stunning shot of the complete fountain


2) A shot showing the location of the fountain in front of the house.


3) A view showing the underneath of the top bowl and the two cherubs as well as the
three Baroque style dolphins which you often find on Handyside fountains.


4) A close up view of the two cherubs (putti) embracing the torch which delivers water from the fountain head. Here not running.


5) Close up of the lions heads on the base. These would have originally had water pumped through them.


Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this fountain on the world map. My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other Fountains around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy

Blacksmiths forge by Andrew Handyside at Combe Mill, Oxfordshire, UK

Did you know that Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge also made lots of other items such as
Machine tools, Printing Presses, Hydraulic and pneumatic riveters and Forges and they were made right here in Derby at the Duke Street Foundry "Britannia Ironworks".

At Combe Mill in Oxfordshire you will find a double forge that was made by Andrew Handyside in the late 1880s and is still in use today ! See http://www.combemill.org/Overview/forge.html

I would like to thank Tony Simmons of Combe Mill Society for taking the following photographs.

Combe Mill is a working museum and often has open days where you can go and see everything.
Please visit their website for more information :
www.combemill.org
This forge is similar to the one at Underfall Yard workshops in Bristol.

Photographs of the Handyside Forge at Combe Mill:



The Handyside forge from the other side.


The Handyside makers badge on the hood of the forge.



I also found a video which features many of the items here. You can see
the Handyside forge by watching this video here :
Video of Andrew Handyside Dual Forge at Combe Mill.

Also this excellent video about Combe Mill which shows
you what you can see when you visit.


Map Location:
View my Andrew Handyside World Map to see the exact location of this Forge on my world map.
My world map is the result of hundreds of hours of research into the company, plotting out each item as I find it.

Can you help find more Andrew Handyside stuff ?
If anyone out there knows of any other blacksmiths forges around the world bearing the Handyside badge that I have not mentioned yet then please get in touch with details, location, photographs etc.

Thanks
Andy