Site Event/Activity record ESF21514 - Building Survey at Cranes Foundry, Ipswich

Pre-Construct Archaeology Limited was commissioned by CgMs Consulting on behalf of AquiGen (Nacton) LLP to undertake building recording at the former Cranes Foundry, Nacton Road, Ipswich, centred on OS NGR TM 19712 42169. The work was required by the Local Planning Authority as a condition of planning permission in advance of demolition of all of the buildings and the redevelopment of the land. The building recording was carried out broadly in accordance with that defined by English Heritages Level 2. The former Cranes Foundry (Nacton Works) manufactured pipe fittings and allied products from the mid-1920s until its closure in 2008. The first buildings were erected in 1921 and in 1927 the works were extended. The works were further enlarged in the early 1930s, when the company started manufacturing radiators, boilers and valves. During the Second World War the works produced large quantities of materials for the war effort, including parts for trucks, tanks, machine guns and munitions. A number of air raid shelters were built on the site to protect the workforce from air raids. After the end of the war the works continued to expand, with substantial new units built on the site in the 1940s and 1950s. During the 1970s the works were reorganised and redundant units were demolished in the 1980s and 1990s.