.. 2010 ..	.. 1970`s ..

.. Cwmbran Retail Park now stands on the former site of the Guest Keen & Nettlefolds (G.K.N) Works ..

.. Guest Keen & Nettlefold ..

 John Guest  -  Arthur Keen  -  John Sutton Nettlefold

History of Cwmbran Works

1800-1969

CWMBRAN commenced with the building of a Forge, a Foundry and Engineering Shops in 1800 and It appears that these were sited where Forge House now stands. Much ironwork was cast and forged here by the owner, Reginald. James. Blewitt, Esq., of Llantarnam Abbey, and amongst the many bridges cast were the ' Halfway ' railway and canal bridges, which were recently demolished. These were made in I847 and one span has been re-erected near the main G.K.N. offices at the Cwmbran Foundries.

Gradually the works spread North by the side of the Monmouthshire Canal, and it was said that a field of growing corn was cut on Clomendy Farm to make way for the Puddling Furnaces and Mills, much to the consternation of the local people. Another Foundry was built where Precision Forgings Limited (also in the G.K.N Group) now stands and thousands of Bowl Type Railway Sleepers were cast here. After being fettled they were loaded into canal barges and taken down to the companies wharf at Newport to be loaded onto ships for their journey East; it has been said that one horse would pull 40 tons of these castings by barge to Newport wharf in three and a half hours, returning with other products.

Nearby was a Blast Furnace producing pig iron, some was sold, but most of it went to the New Foundry which was built  between the canal and the slopes of the Mynydd Maen mountain, the blast furnace was built where an ancient Cold Blast Furnace still stands, which is now incorporated into a huge retaining wall.

By the  late nineteen century, on the scene appeared Cwmbran Colliery, it’s mineslope, airshaft and brickworks, together with workers houses which dotted the mountainside and belonged to the  Patent Nut & Bolt Co., ltd. A little way down the valley, construction was under way for a Coke Oven Plant, fed by conveyor belt from the Colliery, later to be brought up to date with modern Coal Washery and Bye Product Plant producing Tar, Benzol and Sulphate of Ammonia. A large proportion of its coke going to the Blast Furnace and Foundries.

In 1900 Patent Nut & Bolt Co. Ltd., became Guest Keen & Nettlefolds Ltd. Down In the valley came the new Foundry, comprising of a Jobbing Shop producing castings up to15 tons, a Railway Chair shop dispatching over 800 tons of chairs per week to nearly all the regional railways, together with Indian, Crown Colonies and South American railways; another product was hundreds of thousands of London Underground Cable Brackets.

Alongside the canal a large works had grown, comprising of puddling furnaces which used blast furnace Iron with Cwmbran coal, to produce wrought iron which was rolled into square, round and flat sections. The mills were driven by a huge Beam Engine thought to be ex Marine. Steam was produced by waste heat from the furnaces, which fed the Mill Engines and most of the other engines in the adjoining Nut and Bolt factories.

After the First World War. Mild Steel railway components were in demand and wrought iron manufacture ceased at Cwmbran. Bolts, Nuts, Key and Fish Plates continued to be made in mild steel and were supplied to railways throughout the World. Electricity was brought into the whole works and the Colliery In 1920 and steam power disappeared.

At nearby Oakfield, in 1842 a Works was started to produce railway engines and trucks, but altered its production to fire bricks because of the discovery of a rich seam of Fireclay. This works was owned by Mr. Cyrus Hanson, and was subsequently bought by G.K.N. Limited in 1900.

Excellent refractory bricks for Steelworks, Coke Ovens, Locomotives, are produced from its own clay levels, many of these bricks being used in the furnaces at Cwmbran, this refractory works is now a Nationalized concern. After the First World War, due to regrouping of Industry, it was decided to discontinue making pig iron at Cwmbran and the Blast Furnace was blown down and dismantled. Later in1928, again due to re-grouping, the Colliery closed, followed soon after by the closure of the Coke Ovens and Bye Product Plants.

During the Second World War the mills were especially busy producing many sections of angle flat, rounds and squares, most of these being used for Bailey Bridges and other war purposes.

About 1951, it was decided to transfer steel rolling to Cardiff. The Castle and Tremorfa Works then took over production and Cwmbran Mills closed down. Soon it was seen that due to railway closures and to British Railways having their own foundries, manufacturing of all railway castings and fastenings must cease at Cwmbran.

It was then decided that a very modern Automotive Cylinder Block foundry should be erected and the old railway chair Foundry was turned over to Cylinder Head production. Cwmbran Works left the Railway era and entered the Diesel age.

This Foundry was opened by Lord Montgomery In 1954 and has expanded ever since, producing Cylinder Blocks and heads for the leading Diesel Engine manufacturers. This was followed by the conversion of the old Nut & Bolt Works into a modern foundry with the latest electric arc and annealing furnaces to produce Malleable castings such as steering links, spring brackets and differential components for the motor trade.

Another G.K.N. Works, Precision Forgings Limited, Is sited alongside the canal, where the Mills and Fabrication Department were. This firm produces turbine and compressor blades for modern aircraft engine industry in stainless steel, titanium, and nimonic, as well as hot forgings for the motor and allied industries, and also aircraft industries.

Both foundry and forging concerns are being continually improved and expanded, so that the Works started in 1800 has now, after 170 years, grown from a very small shop into one of the leading manufacturers in Britain, both producing a product for which there is a growing demand.

( Monmouthshire Record Office)

.. Munitions Workers at G.K.N during the First World War ..

.. G.K.N lorry ..

.. Malleable Section 1978/9

.. Malleable Section - January 1981 ..

.. Photograph contributed by Doug Eyre , Supervisor (white coat ) ..

.. Malleable Section ..

.. Photograph contributed by Doug Eyre (3rd from the left) ..

.. Malleable Section  ..

.. Photograph contributed by Doug Eyre , (back row, far right ) ..

If you recognise yourself or fellow workers please click here ..

                  Tracy Tucker responds: My Dad, Bryn Hook is 5th from the right (in front of the lady,Mrs.Tew); Mum says he worked for G.K.N. on and off for about 18 years. Dad sadly passed away at the age of 44 in 1977.

Graham Pattimore responds::" I recognise two `old faces` in this photograph and both originally from Forgehammer".

Front row: (2nd from right)  Ralph Thomas, (3rd  from right)  Trevor Smith.

Graham Spreadbury responds: The gentleman, second right at the back is Mike Bergin a wonderful man who worked under my grandfather Fred Spreadbury, his brother Les and he also worked with my father Paul, so many wonderful memories of GKN parties as a youngster.Mike Bergin also gave me a start to my career when i went to work with him at FAG bearings in Malpas Road Newport 1980; my name got me the job!!

Trevor Smith responds: "I worked for G.K.N  twice, first from 1958-61 then I left to join the army. I rejoined in 1966 and left in 1972. I do remember you Doug and the others too. Lovely to see the old faces and bring back the memories."

.. G.K.N. Workers 1931 ..

.. This photograph appeared in the 1982 Checkpoint Calendar ..

Colin Bowen formerly of Chapel street, Pontnewydd recognised his father, Robert Alex Bowen (3rd person from the right in the front row).

..The Blast Furnaces ..

This interesting photograph appeared in the book entitled `In those days` and shows the dwellings of Forgehammer (now an industrial estate opposite Aldi`s), the decorative Blast Furnace House, made of dressed stone, various chimneys, the Blast Furnaces, the hydraulic lift, and the retaining wall, parts of which, built with foundry slag, can still be seen today(2009 )

.. Retaining Wall ..		.. Solidified Molten Slag ..

.. Cast Iron Fixing Plate on the face of the `Retaining Wall`..

...................................................................................................................................................

.. An Iron `bridge spar` cast at Cwmbran Iron Works 1847 ..

.. Photographed on the footpath between Commercial Street and Abbey Road, Old Cwmbran ..

... The bridge Spar has recently been refurbished in Telford and is now `back home` ... 2006

.. If you have memories to add or old photographs you would like to share please click here to email me ..

Guest Keen & Nettlefolds (Midlands) Limited

Railway Fastening Division Cwmbran Mon.

 .. Presentation made by Mr. A. ATHA. Managing Director, on 28th October 1958 to employees with 30-50 years service ..

M.TURNER (33years) *  W. WILLIAMS (Labour Officer)  *  H.G. POWIS (Labour Manager Atlas Works) *  R.A. BOWEN (30 years)

R.E. POWELL (40years) *  A.ATHA Managing Director) *  H. BROBYN (Works Manager) *  H.W. LEWIS (50years) *  P.W. JARRETT (40years)

Burnicle Studios Newport.

Photograph kindly contributed by Colin Bowen who relates :-

This photograph was presented to my father on the 28th October 1958 along with a gold watch for 30years service as a Fitter and Turner. My Grandfather started work at the Patent Nut & Bolt Factory in 1883, where he spent all his working life as a Wages Clerk and Timekeeper; at that time the workers in the Factory had to put their hand through a `Pidgeon Hole` window to collect their brass work token. If you were late in the morning, you would put your hand through the window to get your token and would receive a `good whack` on the back of your hand from my Grandfather.

At that time my Grandparents lived at 27 Richmond Place ... when I was older in the 1950`s people used to tell  me they didn't like my Grandfather because he had `Whacked` them on the hand .. more than once !!

 .. G.K.N. (CWMBRAN) LTD. AUTO CLUB  (Car badge) ..

 .. Click on image to enlarge ..

.. G.K.N. Token ..

.. GKN Football team circa 1955 ..

.. G.K.N Cricket  Team 1950 ..

A. Lloyd,  H. Thomas,  H. Horsfield,.  J. Bevan,  A. Mellish,  S. Wilcox,   H. Morgan,  A. Kelly (Chairman),  H. Davies

V. Peterson,  N. John,  V. Watkins (Captain)  E. Compton,  D. Taylor,  D. Beech

R. Jenkins,  M. Jenkins,  C. Williams

    Lawrence Skuse recalls :-

I remember working one summer at the "Malleable" (the bottom, end of Clomendy Road, where they made small castings as opposed to the main foundry further up towards Forge Hammer where they did diesel engine blocks).  This was a summer job from West Mon, to earn a bit of pocket money.  I worked as a core setter, placing the fiddly bits inside the sand moulds, working quickly before the top of the sand box was slammed on the bottom.  It was hot, dirty and exceedingly smelly work, with choking fumes and intense heat - I hated it, but stuck it out for the full six weeks.

We had frequent tea breaks to replace fluids; everybody had a "Billy Can", a white enamel can with a cup-lid.  These would be filled with water, then placed on a hot casting from the furnace, it would boil up in no time! Then put your tea in and swing it round windmill fashion to make the tea.  Much later, I used to amuse my children on picnics making the tea this way (less the hot castings of course!)

For lunch I would take my Billy Can full of tea and my sandwiches, and walk across the road to the field on "Nimmy Narke's" land  (now the Greenmeadow Community Farm) just to get some fresh air. At the end of the day I would walk home, stinking of foundry dust for a hot bath.

While I was there, the chief shop steward for the whole of G.K.N, Jackson, came down a couple of times trying to organise more of his pointless wildcat strikes, but we never had any during my six weeks. 

Although I hated it at the time, I can look back now with the fondness imparted by the years.  I never worked down the mines, I can't sing, and I only played rugby when forced to at school, but at least I can claim a connection to one Welsh heritage - iron and steel.

---

Lawrence is also reminded of a next door neighbour in the Pen y Parc Prefabs in the 1950s, Mr Jarrett, father of Alice Ball, with whom he lived.

He was a well known figure in the Pontnewydd bowls fraternity, often to be seen immaculately turned out in blazer with Bowls Club badge, cravat or tie, and a Panama hat.  He worked on the last shift at Springvale before they closed it down, and told me of how the foremen kept them hard at it to the end of the shift, filling all the drams, knowing all the while, as the colliers did, that none of the coal would leave the adit.  At the end of the shift, they all trooped out and the entrance was sealed, with the full drams inside where, presumably, they still are.

Graham Pattimore recalls :-