James Martin Phoenix Foundry

**Fast Facts**
Type of organisation:	Business
Street number:	1
Street name:	Calton
Street suffix:	Road
Town or locality:	Gawler East
Date established:	1848
Ceased operation:	1907
Established by:	James Martin
Business or purpose:	Heavy Engineering

'The Phoenix Foundry'

part of James Martin and Company, was established by James Martin, MLC, often referred to as the “Father of Gawler”.

The Phoenix Foundry was significant, historically, because it formed part of the leading engineering works in the state in the late nineteenth century when Gawler was one of Australia's most important industrial centres.

The remaining building facade is important as an example of Colonial industrial architecture and Gawler's industrial area. The section remaining has a half elliptical arch and circular brick edged roundel. The wall is constructed from random course of slate, topped with a triangular parapet.

The “Bunyip” of 9th November 1872, reported that the Phoenix Foundry had experimented successfully with smelting local ore from the Barossa using Barossa charcoal. They had been able to produce many different items from their moulds. However the cost of shipping the large quantities of coal from remote locations meant that local smelting was not profitable. Some of the iron produced was made into a fence at the front of the Institute, 91 Murray Street, Gawler. It bears the following inscription: “Cast from the first iron smelted in the colony at the Phoenix Foundry from ore raised in the district of Barossa. Presented by James Martin, Esq., J.P., Gawler, 1879.”

On October 17 1874 there was a boiler explosion, and a section of it was blown across Calton Road into the garden of Mr. James Harris. Luckily there were no serious injuries.

A fire in the coppersmiths’ shop at 3am on 30th November 1893 caused damage estimated at 200 pounds. The prompt action of the local fire brigade contained the fire and prevented it from reaching the paint shop, which could have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

In 1897 Tasmania became the fourth colony to be supplied locomotives by James Martin. They were sent to the Emu Bay Railway Company in Tasmania.

The statue of James Martin on the corner of Murray Street and Calton Road was unveiled on 15th August 1903. On the 2nd June 1969 it was relocated to its current site opposite the new Post Office.

On Wednesday 28th April 1937, Barossa Engineering Company agreed to reopen the works immediately, following the successful purchase of the property from the Perry Engineering Company.

In early 1932 the final demolitions of Perry Engineering buildings took place. The last load of machinery was taken away in June. James Martin’s empire had gone.

'James Martin & Co employees'

Charles Edson 1st apprentice - 1848
John Jones - 1849
Thomas Flett Loutit – Partnership - 1858 – 1868
Frederick May – Engineer/Director
John Felix Martin (nephew) – Partner
James Davey – Foreman of Blacksmiths (20 years)
James Ogilvy – Tradesman
Henry Rowe –Wheelwright - 1862 - 1882
David Thomson – Moulder - 1856 (14 years)
James Fergusson – Foreman AG Department/Director
William James – Leading Smith - 1867
John Limb – Foreman in charge of Boilermakers
John Ford Pearson – General Manager - 1898 – 1905
Charles potter – Blacksmith
Thomas Roberts – Appointed by liquidators to manage the wind up of the firm – Consulting Engineer - 1907
G Lenz – Works Manager
James Robinson – Foreman of Moulders
John Crump
John Crosbie– Leading Blacksmith - 1887
William H Hammer – Fitter - 1888

References are made to James Martin's Foundry from pages 73-90 in “Gawler’s Industrial Buildings 1839 – 1939” by Susan Phillips and Michael Pilkington

Please click here to read “Economic Time, Technological Space: A spatial analysis of capitalism at the Phoenix Foundry 1847 - 1928 -- Alan Hay Bachelor of Archaeology (Honours) Thesis - October 2009”

While this publication comprises of 182 pages, the Birth of the Foundry and its subsequent usage commences from page 43.

There are many photos of the Foundry and its workers here