Blue plaque for historic Newbury company

Plenty’s Eagle Iron Works was founded in 1790 by William Plenty

NEWBURY Town Council has recognised one of the town’s oldest companies by installing a blue plaque at its original site.

Plenty’s Eagle Iron Works was founded in 1790 by William Plenty on what is now the south side of the Kennet Shopping centre.

On Sunday, September 19, town mayor Elizabeth O’Keeffe unveiled the plaque on a pillar close to Plenty’s former entrance in Cheap Street.

The company’s first major project was an efficient iron plough and in 1817 it created a lifeboat which was recommended for general use by what is now the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

In 1865, it created steam engines and boilers for ships and in the 1920s it adapted diesel technology for ships, power generators, winches and compressors.

It launched a rotary pump in 1935 and 20 years later the company concentrated on fluid processing technology, including pumps, filters and mixers.

Other Plenty’s products have included iron bridges, canal sluices and balloon gas equipment. The company moved to Hambridge Road in 1965 and in 2001 it became part of the SPX Flow Technology, a company with its HQ in North Carolina in the US.

The plaque is the 10th to be installed by the town council and its leader, Martin Colston, said: “In addition to celebrating Plenty’s history the plaque recognises the considerable contribution of industrial design and manufacturing to Newbury’s diverse industrial and commercial development.

“We are very grateful to the Newbury Society for its generous contribution to the plaque’s cost.”