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Remembered Today:

Royal Small Arms Repairing Factory, Pimlico


MPS

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I'm looking for a summary history of Royal Small Arms Repairing Factory in Pimlico, London. 

I'm particularly interested to know between which dates it operated, what work did they undertake and how was it arranged in association with the RSAFs at both Enfield and Birmingham. Also I would like to know where exactly in Pimlico this factory was located and a size of its workforce over its history. Any photographs of the factory's exterior or interior would also be most helpful.

Thanks in advance

Mark

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Not a full summary but hope it helps:

Even before the formation of a discrete corps in 1858, the armourers, who had existed on infantry establishments since at least 1802 (and with evidence of years before that depending upon each commanding officers attitude), wore the dress of the regiment/corps with which they served. They were usually directly employed civilian gun smiths engaged by COs and managed by quartermasters. piece of information that had nearly been lost from the record, is that the very first depot and training school for the corps was in a brick building leased as a Royal Small Arms Repairing Manufactory, at Bessborough Place, Millbank, Pimlico. It had for 5-years before been the London factory of Samuel Colt and the place where he had manufactured his short run of 'London Made' revolvers before closing and repatriating his machinery in 1856. The repairing manufactory closed between 1866 and 1868 and by 1870 that entire function and the armourer's corps depot had been completely moved to a proof house called 'The Tower', in Bagot Street, Birmingham.

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29554&page=3

the 1858 Royal Warrant provided:
“The Corps of Armourer Serjeants shall be attached to the Royal Small Arms Repairing Factory at Millbank.  “ … until required for service in a regiment, battalion, or corps of the regular army, or a regiment of embodied militia, shall be employed under the orders of the superintendent of the royal small arms factory”. (Regulation: 3d(sic))

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29554

 

After the Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace in London, Colt saw the opportunity to open a factory on 1st January 1853 at Bessbourgh place Millbank near Vauxhall Bridge just across the road to Millbank Prison, which is now the site of the Tate Gallery. Colt was a shrewd business man and he knew if he wanted to sell his revolvers to the British Government they would have to be made in Britain with British workers and materials. Colt was also bringing mass production to Britain whereas the British were still making all their guns by hand.  Sales didn’t go quite as Colt had hoped and with the end of the Crimean war and the formation of the London Armoury Company, Colt decided to close the factory after making less than 40,000 1851 Navy Models at the end of 1856 but he retained his London agency at 14 Pall Mall London.

https://bbcfm.be/cabinet 6.html

 

Screenshot 2022-04-30 at 20.43.21.png

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41 minutes ago, travers61 said:

Not a full summary but hope it helps:

Even before the formation of a discrete corps in 1858, the armourers, who had existed on infantry establishments since at least 1802 (and with evidence of years before that depending upon each commanding officers attitude), wore the dress of the regiment/corps with which they served. They were usually directly employed civilian gun smiths engaged by COs and managed by quartermasters. piece of information that had nearly been lost from the record, is that the very first depot and training school for the corps was in a brick building leased as a Royal Small Arms Repairing Manufactory, at Bessborough Place, Millbank, Pimlico. It had for 5-years before been the London factory of Samuel Colt and the place where he had manufactured his short run of 'London Made' revolvers before closing and repatriating his machinery in 1856. The repairing manufactory closed between 1866 and 1868 and by 1870 that entire function and the armourer's corps depot had been completely moved to a proof house called 'The Tower', in Bagot Street, Birmingham.

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29554&page=3

the 1858 Royal Warrant provided:
“The Corps of Armourer Serjeants shall be attached to the Royal Small Arms Repairing Factory at Millbank.  “ … until required for service in a regiment, battalion, or corps of the regular army, or a regiment of embodied militia, shall be employed under the orders of the superintendent of the royal small arms factory”. (Regulation: 3d(sic))

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29554

 

After the Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace in London, Colt saw the opportunity to open a factory on 1st January 1853 at Bessbourgh place Millbank near Vauxhall Bridge just across the road to Millbank Prison, which is now the site of the Tate Gallery. Colt was a shrewd business man and he knew if he wanted to sell his revolvers to the British Government they would have to be made in Britain with British workers and materials. Colt was also bringing mass production to Britain whereas the British were still making all their guns by hand.  Sales didn’t go quite as Colt had hoped and with the end of the Crimean war and the formation of the London Armoury Company, Colt decided to close the factory after making less than 40,000 1851 Navy Models at the end of 1856 but he retained his London agency at 14 Pall Mall London.

https://bbcfm.be/cabinet 6.html

 

Screenshot 2022-04-30 at 20.43.21.png

Excellent information. This will give me a good start.

many thanks

Mark

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  • 1 month later...

There is a photo of the Pimlico factory which was taken by I think, Howard Blackmore in the 1960's, shortly before the building was demolished.

The photo has been published in a book, which I am confident is "Colonel Colt, London' by Rosa.

 

Regards

 

Alan

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 05/06/2022 at 05:22, AlanD said:

There is a photo of the Pimlico factory which was taken by I think, Howard Blackmore in the 1960's, shortly before the building was demolished.

The photo has been published in a book, which I am confident is "Colonel Colt, London' by Rosa.

 

Regards

 

Alan

Thanks Alan. Much appreciated.

Mark

 

 

 

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33 minutes ago, MPS said:

Thanks Alan. Much appreciated.

Mark

 

 

 

If it’s any help I was the author of the information from the British Badge Forum, where I post as Toby Purcell.  If I can help any further please let me know, although I included the majority of the information I have in the post.  The location of the “repairing manufactory” backed on to an open sewer running into the nearby Thames, and there was a gas works out the front, so the air there must have been absolutely foul.  By the time of the 1st Boer War the site had become a manufacturer of ladies clothing.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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17 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

If it’s any help I was the author of the information from the British Badge Forum, where I post as Toby Purcell.  If I can help any further please let me know, although I included the majority of the information I have in the post.  The location of the “repairing manufactory” backed on to an open sewer running into the nearby Thames, and there was a gas works out the front, so the air there must have been absolutely foul.  By the time of the 1st Boer War the site had become a manufacturer of ladies clothing.

Thanks very much.

Mark

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5 minutes ago, MPS said:

Thanks very much.

Mark

I have some better map images of the location saved on my laptop, I’ll look them out and send via PM if I can.

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1 minute ago, FROGSMILE said:

I have some better map images of the location saved on my laptop, I’ll look them out and send via PM if I can.

That would be great. Very much appreciated.

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5 minutes ago, MPS said:

That would be great. Very much appreciated.

I continued to carry out research with Peter (a correspondent in the badge forum thread) for years afterwards and one of the key things that we learned is that when the depot moved to Bagot Street in Birmingham the repairing manufactory did not in fact close straight away, as the original policy had intended, and although reducing the scale of its operations, for some years it continued functioning as a secondary facility to that in Birmingham.  

Edited by FROGSMILE
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3 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

I continued to carry out research with Peter (a correspondent in the badge forum thread) for years afterwards and one of the key things that we learned is that when the depot moved to Bagot Street in Birmingham the repairing manufactory did not in fact close straight away, as the original policy had intended, and although reducing the scale of its operations, for some years it continued functioning as a secondary facility to that in Birmingham.  

When to you believe the Pimlico works finally closed for good?

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38 minutes ago, MPS said:

When to you believe the Pimlico works finally closed for good?

I will let you know when I send you the map tomorrow.  The information is on my laptop. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 13/06/2022 at 20:21, MPS said:

When to you believe the Pimlico works finally closed for good?

I’m very sorry it’s taken so long for me to get back to you, but Covid and various other things got in the way.  The information below is courtesy of my friend Peter35:

1.         With regards to Closure

I have two dates:

i)                    1866

i)a)                   Neil Aspinshaw (author of history concerning Martini-Henry rifle)

i)b)                   ) Armourer Sergeant Thomas Olds says he joined at Bagot Street … letter to RAOC Gazette, 1934

i)c)                   ) I’m sure I have an 1866 CoAS / Bagot Street reference in the literature, which I can’t locate at moment. 

ii)         1870

(Michael Roper, The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964, Public Record Office Handbooks, No 29, PRO, Kew

            There are also quotes by Captain Martin Petrie:

            1864    “repair and issue ….. direct to the repairing factory at Pimlico”

            (Army Equipment. Part V. Infantry, p 41).

            1864 & 1866   “There is a Repairing Factory at Pimlico”

                        (Petrie, Strength, composition, and organization of the army of Great Britain, 1864: p 158; 1866, p 156

            Summary: 

“Roper should be the go to expert, given his reputation and access to records, but I think the 1866 date is probably correct.”

NB.  I enclose two maps of the area showing Bessborough Place, which fronted the manufactory.  The map with green ink across the adjacent bridge is dated 1864, and the map with red ink across the bridge is 1872.   The location is to the left of Vauxhall Bridge and on a line below the distinctive Penitentiary.  The location of the manufactory is not quoted consistently and appears variously as Pimlico, Millbank and Bankside.  Notice the very nearby “King’s Scholars Pond Sewer” and “Gasworks” and pity those who worked in the manufactory, it would have stank there.  The directly adjacent river wharf is “Medway”.

Contrary to Peter’s closing comment I believe that the final closure was in 1870, as there was subsequently discovered anecdotal/written evidence that the manufactory had continued to operate on a reduced capacity, producing just some limited parts, with the greater majority of other parts being made in the Bagot Street Factory in Birmingham, whence the Corps of Armourer Sergeants Depot and main repairing facility had moved to after the American Civil War.  The map of 1872 had simply not caught up with events when it was printed, and it wasn’t until a subsequent map dated 1876, that the Royal Small Arms Repairing Manufactory description had changed to read “Ladies Mantle Manufactory” (of all things!).

NB.  The prefix Manu in relation to factory means hand made rather than machine made (from the Latin ‘Manu’ for hand).

01570E14-7159-48ED-B9ED-84E8A4088B61.png

C128F453-412E-494D-9358-BC6EECF66D62.png

Edited by FROGSMILE
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Great information.

Thanks

Mark

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44 minutes ago, MPS said:

Great information.

Thanks

Mark

I’m glad to help and will be interested to learn of any outcome, or publication/article that you produce, or commission.  It’s been interesting and sometimes frustrating research that is still ongoing.

As regards who worked there, we think it was more of a collection and distribution hub with depot offices and some limited machinery, but evidence of the time suggests that the work itself was largely carried out within family workshops, by hand, with the product then returned to the manufactory for ‘final finishing’ and then onward shipment to bulk storage facilities.  The principal reason for moving to Bagot Street was the establishment there of mass production machinery in factory buildings large enough to generate manufacture and repair at scale.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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  • 1 year later...

Hi MPS 

Some information taken  from  posts on  a Facebook group "Another Brick in the Wall-Pimlico "  so credit to those named below :

Gasworks :Paul Ferry post

"This is a map from 1868. The land now occupied by Tachbrook Estate and previously by the original Coach Station was in fact a Gasworks. Next to that was the Colt firearms factory - loose parts were shipped from America to be assembled and engraved here, apparently to a higher standard than the U,S. Most customers were Army Officers who had to purchase their own sidearms and "Householders" who could own guns for self defence!" 

Colt Factory : David Hodgson post

"Could be a pistol made at the colt factory bessborough place. Colt 1851 Navy percussion revolver, late or typical London model. Cal. .36 inch, rifled octagonal barrel 190 mm (7 1/2 inch) long with loading lever attached.Made by Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co., London, England, serial number 34798, 1853.The features of this example show it to be an example of a London model Navy, produced in London with English manufactured components. The London factory closed in early 1857 after just over three years. "

Another comment was a book recommendation “The Devil’s Acre” by Matthew Plampin, set around Pimlico and Millbank in C19th with references to Colt factory

 .........................

Background history and links  kindly provided to me by forum member @FROGSMILE

" The maps showing the Colt factory that subsequently became the Royal Armaments Manufactory are good too, but the explanation you found misses a key point that the latter wasn’t just a manufactory, with some residual machinery left by Colt, but also the first headquarters and depot of the newly formed (1858) ‘Corps of Armourer Sergeants’.

There had been an Armourer employed by most infantry units since the 1700s (depending on the colonel), but it was only in 1803 made mandatory (funded by the war office) and even then contracted individually with varying degrees of competence.  The new corps of 1858 was intended to standardise things.

Before the manufactory was taken over the musket barrels were made near at Lewisham not far from Sydenham, and the rest of the metal parts and the woodwork in the Tower of London.  See:

1.https://eiv.org.uk/island-history/

2.https://londonist.com/london/history/the-suburban

3.https://www.jstor.org/stable/44221597

Unfortunately that  history has never been published because of its fragmented nature and because the corps successors are divided in two, primarily the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and secondly the Royal Logistics Corps.  Unfortunately the armourers’ story (history) has fallen between those two stools and remains unpublished." 
 

FB Pimlico Colt gun plus bullets newspaper date pic.jpg

Fb Pimlico site Colt Gun poss plus tape measure image.jpg

copy small arms factory Pimlico fbook site.jpg

1880s map Pimlico and south bank.jpg

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  • 2 months later...
2 hours ago, MARTINRF said:

...another example of a London-made Colt .36 pocket model...(8{

20240306_123552.jpg

20240306_123327.jpg

20240306_123418.jpg

A very nice example of the superior manufacture achieved by Colt’s London manufacturory, thank you for posting.

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My goodness. What an incredible find ! It's a thing of beauty I fear to say .

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  • 2 weeks later...

...should have described it properly as the 'belt model'...the barrel is in fine condition, the weapon having clearly been used for much of its life...the powder flask - by James Dixon & Sons, Sheffield - has some powder still within and the percussion cap tin is about 1/3 full...the lid of the case has initials upon the inlaid escutcheon - though there is not much chance of discovering who owned/bought it...(8{ 

20240306_123653.jpg.bb119ac479c7f524a163d72f161af808.jpg 20240308_0919511.jpg.76b483aecba894e44f47289aac17f708.jpg

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