Fowell & Co. Makers plate
The Earliest surviving Fowell engine no. 91 of 1902 at the Old Warden Steam Rally 2009
Fowell & Co. was a company based in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire that built Steam engines from the end of the 19th century till the 1920s. The comany had a number of different names over its life, George Fowell, Fowell & Hunt, C.J. Fowell & Co. and Fowell & Co.
History[]
The Company was started in 1976 by George John of the Fowell family that had worked for many years at Charles Burrell and Sons of Thetford. George John had been senior draftsman and his farther was Burrells works foreman.[1]
George John set up as an Iron Founder in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, a Rural farming area some distance from Thetford, in Norfolk.
The companies records list only 109 engines built between 1877 and 1922. These records were passed to the Road Locomotive Society by Alan Duke.[2]
The first machine was to the designs that George John had worked on at Burrells, with the second engine to the Designs of William Box a haulage contractor contractor & manufacturer. Other engines were also built to this Box patent design by other firms including Burrell and Robey. The engine featured a rudimentary form of springing to cope with the rough roads, that were damaging William Box's loads of clayware from his pottery and brick works.
The company changed its name several times as partners came and went, but most were some variation of Fowell & Co.
- History incomplete, see refs for more details.
Preservation[]
Only seven engines from this manufacturer are listed in the The Traction Engine Register list of engines in the UK.[3]
All seven engines were brought together for a reunion at the Old Warden Steam Rally in 2007. Photo Here.
| Engine No. | Name | Build Date | Type | Weight | Power nhp | Reg No. | Owner | Image | Other info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fowell no. 91 | - | 1902 | TE | - ton | 7 nhp | CE 7856 | The Parrish family |
|
At Old Warden 2009 |
| Fowell no. 92 | - | 1903 | TE | - | 7 nhp | CE 7857 | The Parrish family | 
|
At Old Warden 2009 |
| Fowell no. 93 | The Abbott | 1904 | TE | - | 7 nhp | CE 7894 | owner ? | 
|
Featured in |
| Fowell no. 97 | The Black Prince | 1907 | TE | - | 7 nhp | CE 7893 | Owner ? |
|
Featured in |
| Fowell no. 98 | Reliance | 1909 | TE | - | 7 nhp | CE 7858 | Owner ? (in ROI) |
|
Featured in |
| Fowell no. 103 | Cromwell | 1913 | TE | - | 8 nhp | AH 5456 | Dave Miller of Micheldever, Hampshire | 
|
At Bill Targett Memorial Rally 2011 |
| Fowell no. 108 | - | 1923 | TE | - | 8 nhp | EW 2981 | Owner ? |
|
seen at |
| Make and no | Name | date built | type | weight | power | Reg no. | Owner | Photo | Misc info |
| Machine types Key: | References |
|---|---|
| SW = Steam wagon, PLG = Ploughing Engine, PE = Portable engine, SR = Steam Roller, SM = Showman's Engines, TE = Traction Engine, ST = Steam tractor, RL = Road Locomotive | List of Fowell engines |
See also[]
- List of Steam Machinery Manufacturers
- Shows and Meets
- Clubs Listing
- National Traction Engine Trust
- Road Locomotive Society
- MERL (Museum of English Rural Life) - National Archives records project run by University of reading.
References / sources[]
External link[]
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