Soho Foundry, Industrial foundry in Sandwell, England
Soho Foundry is an industrial foundry in Sandwell beside the Birmingham Canal, where steam engines were manufactured from the late 1700s onward. The complex includes workshop buildings, pattern stores, and assembly areas that remain visible today.
Matthew Boulton and James Watt established this foundry in 1795 and made it a leading center for steam engine production during the Industrial Revolution. The site shaped factory development across England through its organizational and technical innovations.
The site reflects its past as a hub of steam engine production, where workers in specialized workshops followed innovative manufacturing methods. Visitors can still sense how the spatial layout represented an entirely new way of organizing factory work.
The site remains partly operational and is used by industrial businesses, preserving its working character. Access is limited as it is an active factory location, but the external buildings can be viewed from nearby streets and pathways.
William Murdoch, an engineer at the site, conducted experiments in his cottage on the grounds and created the first gas-lit lighting for an industrial building in 1798. This early use of gas illumination was entirely new at the time and demonstrated the technical ingenuity of the workplace.
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