Canhope/Cannop Chemical Works (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, September 19, 2013, 21:04 (4077 days ago) @ MPGriffiths

Yep, the Bush and Thatch mines are in the right general area within a mile or so, this site gives map references.
http://way-mark.co.uk/foresthaven/historic/hworklst.htm
This map shows the location of Thatch and Bush pits, nearer to Bicknor and Lydbrook (see Chemical Works top right).
http://www.lightmoor.co.uk/forestcoal/Staunton.html
This adjoining(eastwards) map shows the location of the pithead & surface buildings of the present-day Cannop, nowadays only the ponds survive.
http://www.lightmoor.co.uk/forestcoal/EastDean.html

Post WW2 "Cannop Colliery" was one of the handfull of working pits left in the Forest, it was one of the big nationalised NCB pits and worked until 1960. It's underground workings were very widespread.
See photo http://www.forest-of-dean.net/index.php/fod-variety-2

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The history of the various Chemical works in the Lydbrook/Cannop valleys is detailed in this article which mentions Samuel,
"In 1881 five chemical works produced a range of substances by distilling wood, including charcoal, pyroligneous acid, tar, and naphtha, and employed a total of c. 130 men. The oldest works, near Cannop bridge, were in use in 1835, and George Skipp, who manufactured lead acetate there in 1841, built similar works in the Oakwood valley near Bream in 1844. In 1854 the Oakwood factory belonged to Isaiah Trotter of Coleford. The Cannop factory later produced sulphuric acid and crushed charcoal for making lampblack. At the Upper Lydbrook works, established in 1857, Samuel Russell produced naphtha in 1859 and the Broadmoor works, built north of Cinderford by John and Thomas Powell c. 1864, later made lead acetate. In 1870 the firm of Chapman & Morgan operated the chemical works some way south of Whitecroft. S. M. Thomas took over the Lydbrook factory in the mid 1870s, acquired the Cannop and Oakwood works c. 1890, and sold them all in 1894 to Thomas Newcomen, who ceased operations at Oakwood and Cannop in 1900 and 1902 respectively. The Whitecroft works, which had closed by 1883, may have been in use again in the late 1880s and early 1890s and the Broadmoor works were abandoned before 1900. The Lydbrook factory, which also made foundry blackings, remained in use until c. 1933."

From: 'Forest of Dean: Industry', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 326-354.
URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23267
Date accessed: 19 September 2013.

[Perhaps not related ?? to Samuel but the Russell brothers were important ironworkers in the industrial history of Lydbrook.]

The Cannop Chemical works is mentioned in the 1870 Kelly's Directory of West Dean, within the Lane End section
"Forest of Dean Chemical Co. naphtha manufacturers (W. H. Jackson, manager), Cannop works."
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/westdean1870.htm