Wadkin Time Warp Workshop - Kent

[houtslager]

I aam definately interested in returning to the UK if that is to rent as is
:tongue9: :tongue9: :tongue9: 8)

karl

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Seriously interesting.

Somebody invested quite a lot of money in that business originally. Wadkins have never been 'budget' manufacturers.

If this has to be cleared out (and can't be preserved in-situ as some sort of historical, educational piece of heritage) there are one or two museums around the country that might be interested. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum may be interested for it's Blist's Hill site, or the Chatham Historic Dockyard. Another that springs to mind is Beamish.

Be a crying shame to see that lot go for scrap.

 

[jimi43]

Seriously interesting.

Somebody invested quite a lot of money in that business originally. Wadkins have never been 'budget' manufacturers.

If this has to be cleared out (and can't be preserved in-situ as some sort of historical, educational piece of heritage) there are one or two museums around the country that might be interested. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum may be interested for it's Blist's Hill site, or the Chatham Historic Dockyard. Another that springs to mind is Beamish.

Be a crying shame to see that lot go for scrap.

Thanks for the post CC.

I can honestly say that I can't see the owner scrapping the machinery having met him. There are plans afoot as we speak which if they come off will see the ideal solution for this gem.

Jim

 

[Tony Spear]

Preserving Industrial Heritage is a very difficult area to get involved in. They give millions to Ballet Companies without the blink of an eye, but engineering stuff is (and has) been the poorer relation!

Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that the preservation people have been stuck in a pre and post Brunel situation. Where Victorian engineering is more important than what came earlier or later. To save a collection such as this would certainly needs loads of Lottery dosh plus the efforts of very, very many Donors.

Back around 1980, I was asked by Thames Water to discuss a project whereby they were going to replace their last steam pumps by electrically driven units.. When we visited the site, I was absolutely gob-smacked to see what they were proposing to replace! I happened to mention that I thought that this was one of of the most important steam pumping installations still around. I have to admit that my commitment to my employer took second place to the future of these magnificent engines and I told Thames that to destroy these engines would be sacriledge. Fortunately, Thames eventually seemed to take notice and subsequentally a trust was fomed to restore these engines and to keep them in "Steamable" condition and that's the current situation, with one steamable engine!

http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy-ab ... 76&bih=518

I apologise for digressing, but I thought that I should point out just how difficult it is to preserve our Industrial Heritage (although that's what made us what we are)

As I mentioned before, the Anson Engine Museum might be your best starting place>

PS. Health permitting, I might try to arrange to come and look at your set-up.

PPS. the reason for the line-shafts and pulleys being below ground is down to the fact that you can't drive them from above because of the machine tables etc. that would get in the way of belt drive!

 

[ben w]

Hello gents, I'm Ben.

Its nice to see such interest in this workshop. If anyone wishes to visit they're more than welcome. We're 5 miles East of Ramsgate, 15 miles North of Dover (if anyone wants to stop off on their way across the channel).

In the next few days I'll try to post some of the missing pictures, though I'm not as efficient as Jim so 'a few days' might mean 9 or 10 rather than 2 or 3.

To answer a couple of queries:

The yard ran as a medium sized building firm from 1927-94, employing 50 people much of that time. Originally run by Harry Cro, and then by his 2 sons John and Philip. Philip still lives locally, and if a few of you wanted to come down I'd ask him to come and share his recollections.

Re the sawdust and chippings, there is a wood burner on each floor. Philip told me they used to employ somebody full time just to collect the rubbish and feed the fires. I had a look in the burners today, and they're still full of ash. Thats probably another reflection of my inefficiency.

I have got planning permission to turn the building into a house, and it will return to its historic roots. But oddly, the workshop is of course its 20th century use, and our permission is to go back a further century to its oast house origins. The builders dismantled the oast rooves in 1949 as they were inconvenient to work with, we are putting them back. The stowage side of the oast, underneath which is the workshop, still has its original beautiful slate roof. I think you can see the Queen Ann trusses in Jim's pics.

Other queries;

Karl - I'm afraid its not for rent, but if you wish to buy 300 square metres of soon to be oast house you'd be welcome. It is actually something I discuss with my wife, that the building is so big that you could actually keep the 80 metre workshop as is – save a fair bit on conversion costs too.

Chris – they started winding down in the early 90's, calling it a day in 93-94. I then used the upper floor as a print workshop for a few years, now its a table tennis room.

Bugbear – you're right about the guards added later. I asked Philip how they complied with health and safety, apparently they did visit regularly, and they added guards as required. I have removed lots of the boxing and protective screens, otherwise the photo would show a lot of wooden and metal screens.

Re the engine, I think it was originally gas oil, and then converted to diesel. I have lots of paperwork information on the engine, which I will endeavour to scan and post, but I think I've already mentioned my efficiency.

Anymore queries please feel free and I'll do my best.

Regards, Ben

 

[powertools]

Many thanks for this thread what an interesting find. Maybe we should have a forum day out to visit and each make a donation to charity of Ben's choice.

 

[Blister]

Hello Ben

Good to see you have joined us :mrgreen:

If you do get a group visit organized can you put my name down please as I would love to come and see all this British history

Make a nice trip out and with the addition of a hands on worker ( Philip ) to explain everything in detail is the icing on the cake

Hope to here from you soon :mrgreen:

 

[katellwood]

Ben

My outlaws live in Broadstairs and I anticipate visiting sometime next week, If at all possible would I be able to visit.

Thanks in anticipation

 

[katellwood]

Wait a minute, five miles east of Ramsgate, isnt that rather wet :lol:

 

[ben w]

West of ramsgate West

 

[ben w]

Minster to be precise.

 

[katellwood]

This is obviously a coincidence however at the rear of the Holiday Inn near to the airport used to be a one armed man that sold second hand machinery mainly engineering but also of the type featured in this thread. I know he's long gone now but I spent many a happy hour browsing through his stock

Ben would you be kind enough to PM me the address, I will speak with the wife and if you are agreeable I could pay you a visit. Its not very often opportunities like this fall on my doorstep so to say

Thanks

 

[ben w]

Kattlewood. Hopefully you've received my email and tel no?

If you ring or email I'll give you the address

Ben

 

[katellwood]

Very much obliged

Will phone at a more suitable time

 

[wallace]

If anyone is planning on visiting this brilliant place could they possibly take some video of the place and maybe upload it to utube. I would love to have a walk around, but its a tad far to travel.
Thanks Mark

 

[urbanarcher]

OMG :O that is A-Mazing as they say! I think that with a little care it would make the most amazing workshop/school/museum, seems a shame to tear it all out. It Looks like it was a buzzing place when first up and running. There was some serious investment there to set that up. Steam engine might be the most efficient way to run that place nowadays if you ran a sawmill there too and burnt the off cuts as fuel diesel is getting expensive. Its a shame I'm not closer there's some amazing photos there waiting to be taken.
Ryan

 

[AndyT]

Jim and Douglas - many thanks for finding and sharing this - and Ben, thanks for being so open and welcoming!

After the first rush of fantasy dies down, and we each come to terms with not being able to personally re-house these wonderful old machines, I think the discussion will veer onto preservation. I certainly agree that it's a rare and precious collection which ought to have a permanent display of some sort. But as Tony said, funding of small, specialist museums is almost non-existent. (Did anyone see a BBC4 series covering the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port, to name one such case?)

The very best future would be to keep it all in-place, running as a business, using what it has as its own USP, if this was possible. (There are some examples in the US; Roy Underhill featured a steam and belt-powered window sash making plant in one of his programmes, and I also recall a box-making plant somewhere, still trading on its old machines.) But it would need a healthy source of funding and a dedicated bunch of volunteers.

Ironbridge or Blists Hill would seem to be a good fit, but are both linked to their specific locations so would probably have to say no. There is an interesting belt-powered pattern-making and repair shop at the Welsh Slate Museum in Llanberis - but again, linked to the location.

Ben, if this is all in part of your house, do you want to house a museum, or would you rather like the space?

 

[Tony Spear]

OMG Steam engine might be the most efficient way to run that place nowadays if you ran a sawmill there too and burnt the off cuts as fuel diesel is getting expensive. Its a shame I'm not closer there's some amazing photos there waiting to be taken.
Ryan

I'm somewhat doubtful about that! The existing engine is as far as I can tell, Gas/Oil
so you're looking at a "new"???? Stationary steam engine, and just as bad, a Boiler!

If the National engine that's already there is beyond recovery, then driving the whole thing with an elecric motor would seem to be the obvious way to go. (and a damn sight more efficient than steam I can tell you!) If the lineshaft/pulley/countershaft drive system is knackered then the only realistic solution is to motorise each machine individually, which shouldn't be too difficult as they're all driven from below.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Some wonderful old machines there for sure but being the clumsy git that I am it wouldn't be five minutes before I was tripping over drive belt taking belly floppers onto spinning metal if it were a working shop.

I wonder how many of a crew worked in that shop, it must have been quite hectic and scary at times?

Anyway thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the tour.

David

 

[L.S.Barker1970]

I have been reading this post for days now in awe, and unable to write up a decent response because of work commitments, but the weekend is here and my learned colleague Jack has given me an introduction, and so here we go.
Jim and Douglas, thanks for posting this up, it is truly unbelievable.
Ben, thank you for giving everyone the opportunity to see these beautiful machines, as far as woodworking machinery enthusiasts are concerned what you have in your lounge room is an Aladdin's Cave full of shinny Gold and treasure, I personally would be happy with just the Wadkin machines you have, but thats just me.
Gentlemen I have some catalogue cuts that I would like to share with the group on Ben’s Wadkin machines and some discussion, please keep in mind also that from the Wadkin catalogues I have the earliest only spans from 1939 to 1944, the catalogues cut’s shown are when Wadkin was trading as a LTD company, say from 1936 as Jack has mentioned.
It is also interesting to note that even from the later edition catalogue cuts flat belt machinery was still an option for some machines, and more than likely being fazed out in the late 30’s early 40’s.
I am of the belief that the CC model docking saw may have been purchased the same time or close to as all the other machines, the plate on the electric motor mentions British Thompson Houston & Co who were, (in association also with General Electric) the first to make Electric motors for Wadkin under contract in 1928, the Motorized CC,CF,CD, and CK models eventually replaced the AY Model Pendulum cross cut saw.
The only machine that has really eluded me is the DH Bandsaw, I am only able to find a DR model in my catalogs (which I have placed up any way for good measure), and lets face it any bandsaw with Wadkin & Co - Leicester, with Cast raised letters into the C frame must be very old, I personally have never seen this particular model.
Other machines that have been hard to find catalogue pic’s of have been the NB grinder, I only had the NL very similar but having a turn wheel rather than two handles to move the surface grinder side, I do own one my self and its a nice bit of kit indeed.
Also the small tenoning machine with the missing badge turns out to be a EHA model, basically the Model before the ECA, I only had a very small Pic of that one in the back of another Brochure, Wadkin did make a larger machine that was the EKA, the belt driven version of this was the EL.
The EV Shaper does make me curious though, for a very old work shop this machine is missing its original fence set up, and has been replaced by a relatively modern equivalent, this seems very strange to me.
None the less even just looking at the photos of this shop I feel very much at home, I hope the machines have a future either restored, in use, on display at a historical venue, any thing but taken to scrap, I feel this is very much a part of our history and important enough for even our children at least to see how we once worked.

Melbourne Matty.

The DR not the DH.

The NB not the NL, similar but you get the idea.

A small Pic of the EHA tenoning machine

The CC Docking Saw.

The MD Mortiser.

The SR Rip Saw, very similar to the Earlier, PD Model.

The RM Under over Planer once again similar to the earlier MJ

Melbourne Matty.