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Here's an interesting photo from Jacmel a thriving city in Haiti in the West Indies, it's the inscription on the side of a beam engine which was used for pumping water and was manufactured at the Haigh Ironworks in the Wigan area. This was a real heavy duty foundry making locomotives, swing bridges for Hull Docks and pumping engines, the famous Great Laxey Wheel on the Isle of Man was reputed to have also been made there but more recent evidence points to Ellesmere Port as having been the source of the largest waterwheel in the world.  

Gronant, Flintshire, February 2023

And now the connection with North Wales......Haigh Foundry was responsible for making a large number of engines and other for the coal industry along the coast east of Prestatyn including a pump engine weighing 30 tons which was made for the Mostyn Colliery in Flintshire.In addition a huge Cornish Style Beam engine was manufactured for Talacre Colliery and, just a mile or three away whilst looking down at the roadside at Gronant,  I spotted this grid from Central Foundry, Wigan, the FCC evidently refers to Flintshire County Council. Drains like these at the side of roads exist all over the world, clearly their function is to help water to clear from roads but the different designs reflect slightly different characteristics the chief of which is to avoid blockages by leaf litter and other detritus. This particular drain is located on a straight stretch of road however this next one is on a slight downward curve in the road hence the swept design. Dudley Dowell's name appears on drains and manhole covers all over the place. They were based at Cradley Heath in Staffordshire - watch this blog for more on Dudley Dowell, the prolific Black Country ironfounders!

Dudley Dowell, Prestatyn, January 2023

Misterton is a small village in Nottinghamshire, however its postal address is Doncaster Yorkshire. It's  places like these that confuse visitors and inhabitants alike. Are they Tykes? Which football team do they support? Etc? According to old records Misterton Castings were based in Doncaster. Do they still exist? Questions, questions?

Kesteven Castings were in Caythorpe, Lincolnshire - not an especially remarkable village apart from the fact that the head office of MENSA International is located there - drains for brains!

Ripley, Derbyshire, October 2022

This grid has Tweeed and Norinco written on it - I've looked and looked and can't find anything to indicate who made it or where it's made. It's got some handy non-slip studs on it though - useful here as the road is part of a parking space outside a junior school in Prestatyn.

Prestatyn, January 2023