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Brown lenox Links

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Brown, Lenox & Co Ltd was a company, founded by Samuel Brown and Samuel Lenox, that created chains and anchors for ships, with factories in Millwall and Pontypridd.

Early History

The company was started by Samuel Brown, initially called Brown & Co Ltd, following his patent on a stud-linked wrought iron chain that was suitable as a ships anchor cable. Brown, an officer in the Royal Navy, sought to replace the hempen ropes, used as anchor cables and rigging aboard ships, with stronger, iron linked, chains. This was due to the fact that hempen ropes rotted quickly, due to their frequent immersion in water, and were easily cut on sharp rocks. Manufacturing of chains began in 1803 in Narrow Street, Limehouse, London. In 1806, to demonstrate the quality and superiority of chains over hemp rope, Brown outfitted a 400 ton ship, named The Penelope, with chain rigging and mooring and Captained her on a 4 month journey to the West Indies. Upon Browns return, the Royal Navy Admiralty immediately ordered four vessels of war to be outfitted with chain cables and, in 1810, began using the firms anchor cables on its vessels. By the year 1815 chain cables were used throughout the Royal Navy. Unable to finance the company alone however, Brown formed a partnership with his cousin, Samuel Lenox in 1808, although the company continued to trade as Samuel Brown & Co Ltd until 1823, when its name was changed to Brown, Lenox & Co Ltd. In 1812, to meet an increased demand, a larger factory was opened in Millwall, London, upon the River Thames. This location was chosen due to it's close proximity to the Royal Dockyards. Following this, a second factory was constructed around 1816-1818 in Pontypridd, then called Newbridge, Glamorgan. Chosen due to the high availability of raw materials needed, such as pig iron and coal, the Newbridge factory took over as the main chain manufacturing factory of Brown Lenox. A second patent was obtained in 1816 for a new chain cable with improved oval-shaped links. This design remained virtually unchanged throughout the chain-making history of Brown Lenox. A second type of chain was developed and manufactured in 1817 for use in chain suspension bridges.

The Millwall Factory

The Millwall factory was constructed in 1812 on the Isle of Dogs. The Isle of Dogs had previously been an area of open pasture and was, at the time, an isolated area to start a factory. This was outweighed by the fact the Isle of Dogs was on the river Thames, allowing for easy transportation of goods, as well as being close to the Royal Navy docks at Deptford. The works, although specialising in chains, also produced anchors, buoys and water tanks as well as chains.In 1816, Brown constructed a hydraulic testing machine, for chains, in the factory.Brown initially had a 61 year lease on the site of the Millwall factory and during this time the factory was constantly changed, with many small buildings and iron shed constructed and dismantled as they were required. The site also occupied the Providence Iron Works for a time. A Second 40 year lease was obtained for the site in 1867. From 1888 to 1921 the Northern part of the Brown Lenox site was occupied by Crosse and Blackwell.Following this, in 1937-8, there was an extensive rebuild of the site, due to many of the building being run-down.By 1930 the factory was producing pressed-steel sectional tanks, rivetted tanks, coal bunkers, hoppers, chimneys, gantries and a variety of buoys and by 1961 the factory was mainly producing ships' chain cable and anchors, mooring cable, mooring anchors and buoys, steel castings, material handling equipment and steel fabrications with around 400 workers. The Millwall factory then became part of the F. H. Lloyd Group but was shut down in the 1980s.

Newbridge/Pontypridd Factory

In 1818 the company decided to found a second factory in Newbridge. This factory was on a 6 acre area of land next to a canal and had previously been a nail works.

Major Contracts

Royal Navy

1914 Admiralty Contractors. Specialities: Buoys and Moorings for the Admiralty.

Other

In 1859 the factory manufactured more than 40 fathoms of cable, thought to be the largest section ever made at the time, as a mooring cable for a Coal ship in Malta. Each link of this chain was 27 inches long and weighed around 308 pounds. The Millwall factory also supplied buoys and mooring chains for the London County Council's new Thames steamboat service in 1905. Brown Lenox also had connections with William Roberts Pump factory, set up in the late 1880s, which specialised in fire fighting equipment.</ref name="British"/>