Monument record MDR11517 - Star Foundry, Eastview Terrace, Langley Mill

'Langley Mill Engineering Wheel & Wagon Works' named on the 1st ed. 25" OS map of c. 1880 and shown lying immediately to the north of a brick yard and old coal pits. Sidings link the buildings with the adjacent railway line. By the end of the 19th century the buildings are named as 'Star Foundry (Iron)'. (1, 2) Late 19th century brick-built foundry with cast iron semi-circular headed windows. Additional 20th century buildings and office blocks form three sides of the yard. The Star Foundry was the original home of G R Turners who moved across the Midland Railway to the Vulcan Works site [SMR 16019] in 1874. In 1895 the Star Foundry became the home of Pickersgill and Frost who developed as manufacturers of solid fuel heating and cooking appliances. This firm was taken over by Canlin Castings who now occupy the foundry. (3) The site was first developed in 1868 by Messrs Turner and Pinder on land west of the railway and next to an existing brickworks. The latter provided the bricks for the new works. However, as described in detail in the Ilkeston Pioneer newspaper, the buildings, having just been completed, were blown down during a gale. The site was rebuilt and later became known as the Langley Mill Engineering, Wheel and Wagon Works. The 1880s proved to be a difficult time and the business collapsed. In 1895, after 6 years of dormancy, the site was taken over by Pickersgill & Frost, specialist stovegrate manufacturers and ironfounders, who named it Star Foundry. They used the site until 1969, when it was taken over by the present owners, Canlin Castings Ltd. The site probably began as two parallel ranges, with thin brick walling set between exposed cast-iron columns, and roofs supported on timber trusses. The furnaces may have been concentrated at the north end of the east range. The site quickly expanded and a lithograph from just before 1900 shows a busy site at its zenith, with the main hot foundry activities (using cupola furnaces) based in or next to the eastern range (where it still is today). The other main ranges were used for fettling (preparing castings), preparing mouldings and for storage; there were separate offices and stables. The site expanded to a lesser extent in the 20th century, with a new fireplace showroom added in c. 1945. Surviving buildings were appraised in 2010. It was concluded that, although there are no structures of any particular architectural merit, the site is a rare survival of an intact and working mid to late Victorian utilitarian industrial complex, making it more than just a site of mere local historic interest. (4)