The First Foundry at Northrepps
William Hutson, born in 1786 in Bodham established the first foundry in
Northrepps. In 1815 at the age of 29, recently married to Tabitha Latten and
with his first born son William junior, the first of Hutson’s buildings were
erected in the village.
This site is now the adjoining car park of todays pub, the Foundry Arms in Church Street.
There was no pub when Hutson set up his new business, but in due course
one of the local cottages became a ‘beer house’ to accommodate the thirst of
the foundry workers. With the establishment of the early form of public house
became a beneficial relationship as the riders and carriages would use
Hutson’s foundry to have carts repaired and horses re-shod.
The foundry attracted associated trades of the blacksmith, farrier,
wheelwright, cartwright and casting, which enabled the making of ploughs,
drills, pumps and a wide range of farming implements.
Whatever local farmers required Hutson would produce. The most important of these being
the ‘Hutson plough’
By 1859 with the business renamed William Hutson & Sons, Hutson senior
handed over full ownership of the business to his son William junior.
Due to his increasing infirmities and having more interest in ownership of the
foundry and other property that he had acquired over the years. He would
often take his carriage out to the rural countryside and talk to ploughman and
farm workers in the fields.
In 1862 William passed away at the age of 75.
His son William Latten Hutson, aged 50, being the sole owner of the foundry
and smithy was set to run the family business for many years to come,
however, just two years later William junior died suddenly at the age of 52.
With a bleak prospect ahead the foundry was rudderless and local employees
and their families faced an uncertain future. As did local ironmongers
Randell’s in North Walsham, who were threatened with a sudden loss of
supplies for metal items which the Northrepps business had provided.
The Randell family had to react quickly and they arranged to take over the
operation of the extensive iron works at Northrepps and ran the business for
the next five to six years.
Randell’s was founded in the 1820’s by Frank Randell with an ironmongery
shop in North Walsham. Prior to the arrival of the railway, the pig iron and
coke and was brought by wherry to North Walsham and transported by horse
and cart to Northrepps. James Randell then took over control of the business
in North Walsham and Northrepps during this time until his death, when his
widow took over. The Randell family decided to establish their own foundry in North Walsham and by 1867 their new foundry and associated building was opened on the Bacton Road (site of Sainsbury’s supermarket) and was known as the St. Nicolas Works.
Much of the Northrepps equipment was transferred to the new manufacturing unit. Having changed the name form M. Randell & Sons the changed to a limited company F. Randell Ltd and were contracted to
supply various wrought iron park furniture.
Once the North Walsham manufacturing unit became fully operational the Northrepps foundry was
relinquished.
In around 1870 the foundry was bought by Edmund Curties and renamed the Curties and Company. This was financed by funds of the estate of the Golden family, however, due to the premature death of Edmund this brought a halt to the foundry operations alongside the pub. The existing building remained but
only ‘smithy’ work continued for a time.
