Constructed between 1854 and 1860 St George’s Works was the first purpose-built, High-Rise structure, of industrialist James Williamson senior and the first identifiable flat-roofed industrial building anywhere. It produced oilcloth for floor coverings, table cloths and blinds with the fabric being manufactured on the upper floors and passed through gaps in the floors to be hung and dried in the taller space of the ground floor.
Significance of the Building:
The Williamson’s Works stood here in the footprint of the present student resident block fronting the Quay below the Castle and Priory.
The building represented the historic remains of the huge oilcloth and lino industry which existed along the Quay until the latter part of the 20th Century. According to local historian James Price “This was by the 1890’s probably the largest industrial complex in the world, stretching from the Carlisle Bridge area down to and including parts of Freeman’s Wood”.
At this time the Williamson’s (father and son) factories accounted for about 1/3 of global linoleum and oilcloth production and 50% of world exports. The son, James, left the 4th largest estate in Britain between 1809 and the time of his death in 1930. The complex was served conveniently both by river and rail links.
Origins, Purpose and Structure of the Works:
The Works, constructed between 1854 and 1860 was the first purpose-built structure of industrialist James Williamson senior, who previously used an adapted malt kiln sited closer to Carlisle Bridge.
It produced oilcloth for floor coverings, table cloths and blinds. The fabric was manufactured on the upper floors and passed through gaps in the floors to be hung and dried in the taller space of the ground floor. The Works site, which expanded from the 1860’s, and also along the Quay at Lune Mills, produced its own varnish for finishing the fabric. It also included linseed oil processing facilities, and even a brickworks and rail connection
The railway embankment for this can still be seen along the area of the present housing development which adjoins Long Marsh Lane. This linked the Works to the main line at Lancaster Castle Station from which its products were despatched all over the world.
The Works Building – a Modern High – Rise Idea:
The building itself was designed by the surveyor Charles F. Thompson of Castle Hill, Lancaster who went on to plan several subsequent buildings for Williamsons. St George’s Works was an innovative building in many ways. It was the first identifiable flat-roofed industrial building anywhere.
Secondly, it departed from existing building methods. Buildings at the time had flooring supported by brick arches resting on cast iron girders and columns, or sometimes girders supported by outer wall structures as with Shrewsbury Flax Mill. Railway bridges, and in the 1860’s, the newly rebuilt Houses of Parliament, depended on brick arches.
However the flooring of St George’s Works rested primarily on 12 inch deep steel, rather than cast iron girders – itself innovative at the time. These formed a lattice or grid with secondary or smaller cast iron girders. The girders were supported by cast iron columns linked to each other through the floors. The way these link the lattice of girders can be seen below.
This arrangement provided a self-supporting integrated internal structure which was largely independent of the external walls and which provided a secondary load bearing support. The self-supporting internal structure idea was an unusual and possibly novel building technique at the time and is otherwise found in modern high rise buildings dating from the late 19th Century and early 20th Century Bauhaus period.
Other unique features were related to fire prevention – something which severely affected Williamson’s Lancaster competitors the Storey brothers. Williamson minimised fire damage by laying 2 ½ inch pine floorboards which were then covered by a screed of cement around 6 inches deep. This acted as an effective flame retardant and adjoining departments were also connected by metal fire doors – all ideas new in the mid 19th Century.
Decline and Demolition:
Following the decline in oilcloth and lino production the Works building was occupied by various businesses from the 1970’s. It was latterly unused and damaged by fire which, as following the building’s design, had more effect on the lattice of girders than the flooring itself.
The Works was demolished in 2018 to be replaced by student flats which largely mirror the form of the original building and an adjoining housing estate which covers the original industrial site at George’s Quay.
©Lancaster Civic Vision and Lancaster District Heritage Group – July 2022
Lancaster Civic Vision is the trading name of Lancaster Civic Society, registered charity number 258434