Needham BS497

Located at ST 64181 91354, and built by John Needham and Sons of Stockport. The company was founded in 1834 in Portwood, but the foundry was taken over by a href="https://nons.co.uk/UK%20Records/Trades/John_Needham_Iron_Foundry.htm">Brickhouse Foundries in 1979.

R and B UK JT Ltd Montgomery - Alternative moulding

Another Montgomery, but the lettering and moulding differs from the previous posting.

Clark Drains CO 600x600

Wrekin M6060

Located at ST 63787 91422.

Wrekin Highway SW Double-seated

Another Wrekin Highway variant - this time labelled SW, and designed for two access covers to be in one seat.

R&B UK JT Ltd D400

Located at ST 63901 91522, this version has two covers sat in one seat.

PAM - Made In The UK

Labelled made in the UK, but apart from the standards met, no identifying name or number.

R&B UK JT Ltd M6060

Located at ST 63903 91501.

Savage Ultra

Located at ST 63903 91478.

Wrekin Highway FW

Wrekin Products Ltd of Lichfield were originally founded on the 1st January 1952 as Wrekin hill, Wrekin Welding, Fabrication and Engineering Limited (WWFE) (see here to read more history), and manufactured access covers as well as other metal products. It was bought by CIS in January 1994, and the combined group was sold to Tyco in December 2000. In 2003, there was a management buyout of WWFE, and in 2013 it moved to Lichfield, as was renamed Wrekin Products Ltd.

R and B UK JT Ltd Montgomery

Located at ST 63911 91408. R and B UK JT Ltd was originally incorporated on the 15th January 1982 as Voltbridge Ltd. It changed its name to R&B Construction Supplies Ltd in 1988, and in 2004 became R&B UK JT Ltd. The company is located in Telford.

Broads Trucast No 18

Located at ST 63906 91347, this is a cast iron cover from the Broads Manufacturing Co of London.

Hepworth 35 kN

Located at ST 61352 82586. Founded in February 1936 as Ellistown Pipes Ltd, the company changed its name to Hepworth Clay Products Ltd in 1987. Located in Altrincham, as of 2021 the company was dormant.

Eccles UK Foundries Ltd D400 - Square

Clark Drains CD 1659 KMDFW

The Clark Drains CD1659 KMDFW is a cast-iron manhole cover - this one is located at ST 61980 82053. Clark Drains are a British company which started in 1963.

Broads Silent Knight 70B

Located at ST 63807 91143, this was built by the Broads Manufacturing Company, which was active under that name from 25 Aug 1947 - 31 Dec 1979. The company became part of Brickhouse Dudley, and after another two names was finally dissolved on the 21st March 2021. The Silent Knight brand is still used today by Saint Gobain. Broads were located originally in Paddington, London.

Savage KM571335

Located at ST 63876 91045.

Thomas Dudley Ltd Dauntless

Thomas Dudley Ltd 6270

Two variants of the same manhole by Thomas Dudley Ltd. Thomas Dudley are a foundry business which has been casting since 1920.

Glynwed Brickhouse 8050

Stanton & Staveley E 12

Manhole covers can be triangular too - this one is by Stanton and Staveley of Ilkeston, which was taken over by Saint-Gobain PAM. It is located at ST 63894 91122.

Glynwed Brickhouse 5454

Located at ST 63869 91032. Glynwed Brickhouse was a part of the Glynwed Group. The Glynwed Holdings was formed in 1959, and in 1986 acquired Brickhouse Dudley, which made cast iron pipes and drainage products. In 1999 it sold its specialist engineering businesses to Tyco International, and no longer made these products.

Treforest Manhole

Located at ST 63589 89237, this was cast by the Treforest Foundry in Pontypridd, Wales. The company was dissolved on the 26th February 2019.

Eccles UK Foundries Ltd D400 - Rectangular

Located at ST 63589 89237, this was built by Eccles UK Foundries Ltd, who were established in 1955 in West Bromwich.

Savage MB2-60/60

Located at ST 63589 89237, this was built by Peter Savage Ltd, which was later bought by the EJ group.

Stanton Trojan 75

Located at ST 63589 89237, this was built by Stanton PLC of Ilkeston. The company was taken over by Saint Gobain PAM, who later (around 2007) sold the land on which the ironworks had been sited.

PAM Warrior

The PAM Warrior is a water access point built by PAM Saint-Gobain. This one was installed circa 2018/19.

Cavanagh Python CATV cover

Built by the EJ group, this was installed circa 2018. A two-piece cast iron cover for cable/communications access.

Water access point

Used for covering water meters, this version was installed in 2018/19.

BT EN124-2D400 two-piece cover

Quattro 700

The Quattro 700 is made by EJ, previously known as Peter Savage Ltd. Note that it is rated according to British Standard 124-2, which means that it is a manhole top made of cast iron. The explanation of this standard can be found here.

PAM Inter-Ax2

The PAM Inter-Ax2 is made by PAM Saint-Gobain, and is a two piece cover. PAM (whose full name is Pont-à-Mousson) is a company which dates back to 1854, from France, which specialises in pipes for water and sewerage. The history of the company can be found here.

Introduction

Manhole covers, utility access points, you drive or walk over them every day and don't think twice, if at all, about them. But look more closely - see how many different types there are. Many are dated, embossed with the names of manufacturers lost to the past. Utilitarian, but decorated in many cases, continuously developed over time. This blog will look at some of these which can be found on the streets.