(click for larger photo)

Photo taken c.1920

The pot bank in the foreground is J & G Meakin Eagle Works
which was built in 1859.

From 1883 the foundry consisted mainly of two bays and an enclosed courtyard.
Note the lack of development on Leek Road in the background.

(click white square for large view of Goodwin foundry)
(click elsewhere for larger photo)

Photo: Aero Pictorial Ltd, May 1950

The foundry has developed, the court yard now has
two bays built in it. There is still an undeveloped space
between the foundry and Caldon canal.

Leek road has started to be developed and housing has appeared.

At the Eagle Pottery all of the main bottle kilns have been
demolished to make way for continuous firing kilns.
There is a small group of bottle kilns bottom right (better view on larger photo) 

The football pitch (top right) is not on the photograph but has been
pasted on (probably for planning permission) 

(click for larger photo)

New bays added

Two new bays have been added to the foundry alongside the canal.
These contain the new semi-mechanised moulding plant
and the steel casting area. At the end of the new bays 
a new office block was built.

Bottom of photo at the junction of Ivy House Road and Leek Road is
"Heaths", who made & sold garages and sheds..

Note on the left side of the photo is Meakin's football field
(so they must have got planning permission after 
the previous photo)

In the background is Lime Kiln bank. At the upper right
middle is Beech's Lorry garage. Leek road now has
more traffic.

(click for larger photo)

Goodwin foundry on Ivy House road.

The stack of the cold blast Cupola for iron melting is visible in this
photograph (green box).
Note the wooden drawbridge (red box) over the Caldon canal.

The housing estate of Eaton Park is visible in the distance (yellow box), this 
estate was built at the edge of Berry Hill fields on the sight of
Berry Hill colliery.

Note the coal field spoil heap (blue box).

(click for larger photo)

The stack of the cold blast Cupola for iron melting is visible in this
photograph (green box)

The red box marks the addition of a new office for the company Chairman
Mr John Goodwin and also a laboratory to house the new 
spectrometer which replaces the chemical method of analysis.

Heath's enterprise (yellow box) is no more but the bungalow is still
there. The corrugated roofed buildings behind the bungalow is
the pattern stores.

(click for larger photo)

Photo: 1977 when the new office block was built.

The new Goodwin Group offices were built on the site of Heath's bungalow,
the pattern stores is still present.

The cupola stack has been removed as the foundry stopped
making cast iron and moved to all electric melting.

Note the number of cars in Ivy House Road and the car sales plot
on Leek road.

Top left are the blue propane tanks for J & G Meakins kilns.

(click for larger photo)

Photo: 1983/4 Most of the factory has been rebuilt

Factory has been rebuilt after the explosion 26th April 1983.
A new bay has been added which houses the pattern stores.
The only part of the factory not modernised is the  heat treatment bay (red box)

click for details
on the
explosion.

Back to: Story of Goodwins

questions/comments? email: Steve Birks