Salt’s Patent Enamel Works, Bradford Street.

[Pedrocut]

Salt’s Patent Enamel Works UK Enamel Signs Manufacturer

Benjamin Baugh, founder of Salt’s Patent Enamel Works, secured the first patent for enamelling processes in England in 1859. Inspired by the techniques of German artisans abroad, he produced decorative enamelled panels at his Birmingham firm, showcasing his new products at the 1860 London Trade...

antiquesigns.com.au

 

[mikejee]

Here is a map from 1839 showing the position of the works and an engraving of the works

 

[Pedrocut]

“Salt's became a public company and, in 1889 built a large factory at Selly Oak, which was designed and laid out for the manufacture of enamelled iron signs under the name of the 'Patent Enamel Company Limited'.
This was probably the first and only factory built specifically for sign-making. It had twelve furnaces for fusing the enamel, two scaling furnaces as the iron required to be scaled and stretched, and a large printing room, plus a huge area for steampipe drying.
The company also smelted its own enamels and colour oxides. A railway siding ran into the factory, which also had its own canal arm and stables to accommodate horses!”

 

[mikejee]

Here is the factory in 1903 shown in red

 

[superdad3]

I find it fascinating to read about the origins of Birmingham factories, especially the smaller ones. There must have been thousands and thousand of them. Some developed into major industrial concerns such as the Austin, BSA, and so on.

I enjoy researching them on line, particularly using Graces Guide and not forgetting EBay a much neglected source for information from collectables and ephemera.

Salts' is a good example of Birmingham initiative - starting in a small way and rapidly developing into a major player in metal enamelling.

A few more examples of their output.