Irons Brothers is located on a long, narrow 5.5-acre site just outside Wadebridge in north Cornwall. There was a factory there in the 19th century producing gunpowder for use in Cornish tin and copper mines before it became a foundry which predominantly made pumps for the Cornish china clay industry. In 1925 the then-proprietor Mr Harris sold the company for £350 to three brothers: Clifford, Eddison and Leonard Irons. They continued to service the china clay industry and during the Second World War produced various items, including tank components, for the war effort.
“At some point there was a bit of a falling out among the brothers,” Mathew Robinson, the current chairman, told me. “Eddison and Leonard left to form another company while Clifford stayed and ran Irons Brothers by himself.” He then passed the company on to his son Henry who retired in 2000. Matthew, who is Henry’s son-in-law and has been with the company 30 years, has run Irons Brothers ever since, along with Henry’s nephew Nigel Nurt who is MD. There are currently 29 employees.
Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av Classic Boat.
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Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av Classic Boat.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Need For Speed
Saving lives at sea has always been bound to the speed of rescue, from the first rowing boats to the 60-knot, all-weather motorboats of today
ROW YOUR BOAT
There has been a steady rise in recreational rowing over the past few years, and the choice can be bewildering. What’s the right boat for you?
Traditional Tool
JOINER’S NAME STAMP
Classic misuse of a word
Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward
SCUD MISSILE
Herreshoff’s newly-restored Bar Harbor 31 Scud lit up the classic racing scene in the Med in 2020 with a double win at Cannes and Saint-Tropez
BOSUN'S BAG
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER
DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man
Vietnam vet, park ranger, dentist, small-craft conservator and tugboat skipper.... meet Ranger Doug!
CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl
Chances at Albert Strange ownership don’t come up often, and Sheila II is the quintessential Strange – and one with a great history, too
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls
A friend and I once decided that walking might make a change from sailing. So we set forth to walk from Branscombe to Bigbury, a 100-mile stretch of the south-west coastal path marked by knackering climbs and knee-wrenching descents.
Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!
A rare, 18th-century schooner replica, restored to the tune of around £1 million, could be abandoned if a buyer is not found soon.
