| Catalogue Finding Number | WYHER/9928 |
| Office record is held at | Historical Environment Record, West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service |
| Held Outside WYAS | THE RECORD DESCRIBED IS HELD AND ADMINISTERED BY THE WEST YORKSHIRE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD PLEASE CONTACT THEM ON 0113 535 0157 IF YOU WISH TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO VIEW THIS RECORD |
| Title | Stanley Ferry Repairs Shop |
| Description | Stanley Ferry Repair Shop was established in the 19th century. It is included in the Local Buildings List (2008) for Wakefield.
The site was visited by David Hunter (WYAAS) on 25/02/2011. During this visit he noted that this was a late 19th century boat building and repair shop with associated yard (PRN 9927) and in close proximity to earlier iron aqueduct over the Calder (PRN 2091). Modern aqueduct (PRN 2173) and coaling basins (eg PRN 3830 but at least one other lie close by) along with associated tramways represent important evidence of the growth and specialization of the Navigation in coal handling during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The workshops comprise an L shaped range at Stanley Ferry on the west side of the canal and north of the Calder and at the northern mouth of the aqueduct. The buildings comprise single storey workshops in brick, a covered dry and wet dock and a tall erecting shop with its own small wet dock. The complex was not present in the 1850s and it is believed that the Aire and Calder Navigation relocated their maintenance base here from the nearby Lake Lock site in the 1860s when the innovative Tom Puddings or Compartment boat system was introduced for the movement of coal and other cargos. Introduction of this system would also have required the locks and other elements of infrastructure to have been altered (a typical “train” of 21 Tom Puddings contained c. 840 tons of coal) .thus the workshops are only part of a much larger scheme of improvements throughout the system.
The workshop is a purpose built structure constructed from timber with brick infill and cladding with a shorter aisle (workshop?) to the south east. The covering structure protected a traveling crane which ran the entire length of the shop and small wet dock contiguous with the canal.
As built the workshop and yard were steam powered as evidenced by an industrial chimney illustrated in Mike Clark’s Aire and Calder Navigation book (p. 88). A steam engine would have powered the site’s plant and the dry dock’s pumps etc..
The buildings are still in use (as of Feb 2011) by British Waterways producing several hundred sets of lock gates per year for the national system. As such most of the equipment is of recent origin although some mid 20th century plant remains in place.
The workshops are probably unique as a specialized and purpose built engineering complex, certainly in WY and for Wakefield district, and were added to the local list in 2008. Any plans for alteration or development should be proceeded by further research and recording.
(Text edited from Hunter, 2011) |
| Date | 21st century |
| Extent | contact the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service for information on what is available |
| Level | Item |