Figure 75: Plans submitted in 1879 by William Tennant of Newcastle
for a proposed new factory at Back Pitt Street.
Tyne & Wear Archive Office Plan Ref 8793. Reproduced by
permission of the Chief Archivist.
Figure 76: Alternative plan for Tennant's proposed new factory
at Back Pitt Street, shown in the previous figure.
Tyne & Wear Archive Office Plan ref 8793. Reproduced by permission
of the Chief Archivist.
In July 1879 an application was made by William Tennant to build a tobacco pipe manufactory at Back Pitt Street, Newcastle upon Tyne. It appears that the intention was to erect one new building and to utilise an existing range. The elevation and plan reproduced (Figure 75) show two kilns sharing a central chimney in the existing building. Three sides of the larger kiln are masked either by walls or the chimney leaving only one side free for the fire mouth. This is consistent with the type of plan commonly used since the seventeenth century. The smaller kiln has two sides free of obstruction. These plans were rejected by the Borough. An alternative plan (Figure 76) shows the kilns and chimney in the proposed new building. In this version both kilns are so positioned as to permit only one fire mouth each. The relationship between the two plans is unclear. Although they are both by the same hand the pen used for the second is finer suggesting a time lapse between their preparation. It is possible that a second application was made after the initial rejection. Whether the factory was built or not is irrelevant; the plans clearly show intention to build kilns of the traditional type rather than multi hearth adopted by some of the larger manufacturers around this time.
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Last updated: Wed May 22 1996
Reader comments:
"Interested to see about the planning permission for
William Tennant (my great great grandfather). He did indeed build a clay pipe
factory and his son and grandson (my grandfather) both worked there. The last
site of the factory was Bells Court, Newcastle upon Tyne."
Richard Tennant (rwtennant@msn.com). Email to Internet Archaeology, 7 Aug 2002.