Laurieston Foundry

McKillop’s Foundry

Illus: 1915 Ordnance Survey Map (National Library of Scotland).

Sites & Monuments Record

LauriestonSMR 705NS 913 804

Timeline

1899: Established by James McKillop MP on the road between Falkirk and Grangemouth.  It lay beside the NBR railway line to Grangemouth and that company built a passenger platform adjacent to the foundry to accommodate the workforce.  WS Horne, the cashier of the Forth & Clyde Ironworks, became the first manager.  Trial cast took place in February.  Compound tandem engine supplied by Inglis & Co of Airdrie, of which firm McKillop was the principal partner.  The cupola was made and erected by James Graham, boiler and cupola maker of Grangemouth, and was 24ft high by 7ft internal diameter, capable of casting 10-15 tons of metal per hour.  The blast was provided by Root’s patent blower, No. 6, made by Thwaites Brothers in Bradford.  In September Thomas Laurie & Co installed their patent sliding lamp system.  The dynamo had a capacity of 1000 8-candle incandescent lamps and was driven off the foundry engine.

Used coal from the Laurieston Pit.  Built two rows of 2 storey buildings at Thornbridge, known as McKillop’s Rows.

1900: Second cupola completed in February.  It was also 7ft in diameter.  Grinding mill enlarged.

1904: Sold to J McDowell and A W Steven, a Glasgow foundry firm established in 1834.  Over the following year they transferred all their production to the Laurieston site and closed Milton Iron Works down.

1906: New pattern shop 250ft by 30 ft.  New warehouse.

1916: One April night at 9.45pm, a fire broke out in the boiler house.  Work had ceased for the day at 8pm and so no one was present.  By the time that the fire was brought under control between £12,000 and £15,000 worth of damage had been caused.  Work resumed the next day on a limited scale.

1922: McDowell, Steven & Co joined Light Castings Ltd.  In 1928 George Bathgate, the secretary, died.

1929: Taken over by Allied Ironfounders.

1934: Manufacturing at Laurieston ceased and work transferred to Castlelaurie.  Site taken over by Christie & Vesey.

Now a timber yard.

Workforce

  • 1910: 500
  • 1913: 600

G.B. Bailey, 2021