Circa 1870s
This sketch of the J.W. Horwood – Castlemaine Bell Foundry which once stood at 6-8 Greenhill Avenue, Castlemaine was supplied to us by our friends at the Castlemaine Historical Society – Exploring Our Past. John William Horwood arrived in Adelaide, South Australia in 1848, coming across to Victoria in 1854. He assisted at the Bendigo Ironworks and the Inglewood Foundry before returning to England to study civil engineering. He returned to Victoria and purchased the Albion Foundry in Castlemaine with his brother, Joel, in 1868. Five years later, he became sole proprietor, also opening a branch in Echuca. In 1879, he tendered for and successfully cast the first large bell in Victoria for the Castlemaine Post Office, at a cost of 79 pds, 15s.
2023
The former foundry site is now home to two private residences. The foundry made a number of bells during its life including one for the Kyneton Fire Brigade – weighing 846lbs, 33 inches in diameter and the note C sharp. J. W. Horwood stated it was most perfect bell yet and he would have liked to have seen it sent to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in London.
The foundry also forged the Creswick Fire Brigade bell valued at Pds34, Richmond Town Hall bell made in 1879 weighing 2268lbs and the Bundaberg Fire Brigade bell. This large bell was made using an improved method which enabled the bell ringer to ring it from the ground. The foundry were engineers, blacksmiths, boiler makers and millwrights and were manufacturers of agricultural implements and road making equipment, including road rollers. They employed 15-20 persons and value of foundry plant is estimated at Pds 5000. The foundry folded in the 90s.