The entrance to the private “chemical arm” or Houghton Branch
The ghastly “chemical arm” at Trinity Street for decades served as a waste graveyard for Albright and Wilson’s toxic trade as well as that originally for Chance and Hunt which later became ICI. I have looked at some of the history of this HERE.
A first hand account of one of the last people to transport the dumped waste from this arm and carry it by boat to Rattlechain lagoon can be read HERE. This toxic trail polluted not only the final destination, but also a large section of the BCN itself along the way evidentially.
The Houghton chemical arm from Albright and Wilson on right crossing underneath the M5 motorway
What I was not certain of however until recently was how this terminus branch, originally in two sections got its official name “The Houghton branch”. There are now many infilled basins and branches named after long dead people who are totally unknown today to those whose footsteps tread over those that have gone before. But who was “Houghton”? I have not previously read or seen any explanation in any local history books on the matter.
My best guess is that from research, it was named after a canal surveyor called Dugdale Houghton, born 1799, died aged 77 in 1876. As with many things, I came across his name looking for something else, and so here are a few articles which explore the activities of the man in question.
Houghton was obviously a well respected “independent” witness at trials involving land ownership disputes- particularly involving the Birmingham Canal Company. A publication called The Aris’s Birmingham Gazette edition of 18th January 1836 relays such a dispute between the canal company and Thomas and Jesse Moore. The area in question is of importance to this blog as it involves the area which became Rattlechain Brickworks- and of course all that followed that. The Moore’s owned a sand mine in the Rose lane area, and with the construction of the canal around this time, had sold the land, but the dispute was about how much it was worth. Bizarrely of course, it would return to being a foundry sand minefield which caused misery to local residents.
Houghton was a key witness for the Company, and yet his estimation was considerably less than that which was arrived at by the jury. We see then how people such as this operate when they are employed by large organisations.
A later article from the same source dated 25th October 1852 reveals that Houghton handled considerable wealthy sales of land and machinery, in this article the works of several collieries in the area are touted as being up for grabs, with further information available from his Birmingham office in Paradise Street.
The money made from such ventures obviously gave this man a taste of the high life, and an escape to the country away from the ghastly emerging Black Country. His personal belongings were put up for sale as evidenced in the 24th May 1854 Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser.
Houghton had obviously set his sites on the country life and fancied himself as a farmer and horticulturalist. His move to Wales was to be an interesting venture, though untimely when his wife snuffed it as the 31st March 1855 Staffordshire Sentinel revealed.
Despite playing at farming, he obviously kept interests in the West Midlands area, as the 9th June 1858 Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser reported when he was moaning about sewage in a property he owned in Union Street West Bromwich.
Shit in your own hands Duggie boy. LOL
A further mention in the same publication from 29th August 1860 links him to Oldbury and we start to get closer to the location of the blessed chemical arm too. Unfortunately, it is another example of the Oldbury mafia getting some form of commemorative piece enshrined in a building or place. It is revealed that Dugdale had dedicated stain glass windows in the church in memory of his father, John, who lived in The Park House, Oldbury.
The Park House is shown in the map of Oldbury from 1857 below. Park House Lane was renamed just “Park Lane” at some later date most likely when the house was removed. The Houghton “Chemical” branch is marked in blue. At this stage, it did not carry this name though you can see how the Park House itself was at the end of it.
Oldbury was a terrible place to live in with the Alkali works of Chance and Hunt and then Albright and Wilson as neighbours
The thing that I have found with characters like these Victorians and later still into the 2oth Century is their absolute fucking hypocrisy, as well as likely trouser leg rolling funny handshake crooked old boys network shit. Two events contrast the polluted thought process of hypocrite Houghton; the first involves his escape to the country away from the ghastly polluted Black Country. The following article is of very interesting reading on learning of the character of Dugdale Houghton.
This legal case centered around a complaint made by the Birmingham surveyor about The Red Jacket copper works run by Frederick Bankhart near to land in Swansea , Wales where he began farming in 1853. Houghton alleged that the smoke from the process had seriously harmed crops and killed animals in his possession. It was a new form of manufacture that had allegedly caused the harm. Houghton observed that his crops “withered” due to the smoke , (now where have we heard that one before) ;-). It was argued by the defence if Houghton was an experienced farmer and the issues of loss were down to his poor animal husbandry and lack of care?
It was stated that gases given off in the copper smelting process were sulphuric acid and arsenic. Obviously, I would not argue against the idea that this works were having injurious affect on any life around it.
It was however argued in the defence that Houghton had walked into the smoke with “his eyes open”, and should have known about such matters, particularly coming from a area where industrial grime prevailed with wind blowing smoke across individual interests. Should the needs of individuals outweigh the needs of commerce, it was pondered? It was also wondered if the works had been built in a fit and proper place, next to a river a canal and a railway?
Houghton called expert witnesses who had monitored the smoke, and it was also claimed that particles of toxic material associated with the works had been found in remains of horses and other animals. Houghton claimed enormous damages of over £5000, but the defence offered a poor case and in part lost the trial resulting in only £150 of damages for the “farmer”. The jury did however consider that the works were a nuisance, and further that they were not in a fit and proper place.
Contrast all of the events here with a piece which took place AFTER this in The Birmingham Daily Post 9th May 1864. This little gem involved a discussion about the Albright and Wilson phosphorus works and the extension of its phosphorus production. The issues surrounding the expansion are quite incredible when you read the statements made in the earlier case involving Dugdale Houghton.
AW had arrived in the area, and had not submitted plans concerning the phosphorus building which it was alleged would be injurious to public health! AW stated as these people always do to basically prove that this was the case.
It is quite extraordinary that the bearded £unt himself, John Wilson is quoted as saying this before this board.
“Mr Wilson produced a certificate from Mr George Shaw, a practical chemist , which stated that the health of the people employed at his works could in no degree suffer from the manufacture, and that consequently, the people living in the neighbourhood could not sustain any injury” (WTF!!! ED)
Lying Quaker bastard
This lying Quaker bastard was only outdone by his lying chemical pal who was either one of his own wierdo cult or had been paid handsomely to come out with this “expert” fucking untruthful bollocks and easily refutable pack of lies.
- We know that white phosphorus caused the ill health of those who handled it, an Act of Parliament would ban such matches being made.
- We know that workers at this site contracted phossy jaw.
- We know they were burnt by P4 and died.
Was this “George Bernard Shaw” I wonder, as what a fictitious fake expert this Queens College liar spun. It is therefore easy to see how people like this, “scientists” and academics have for many years been bought by people to make up fake and knowingly false statements presented as unarguable “fact”, to lie under oath and it is still going on in the chemical and pharmaceuticals industry today to try to spin their way out of litigation and the harm that they are doing to people with their drugs, vaccines and chemicals!
It is quite right but something omitted by the AW historian cocksuckers of Oldbury that one board member stated
“These works have been the ruin of Oldbury”
It would be the case that the descendants of Wilson would get into politics and get places on boards of health to attempt to rub out the outcry that their polluting filth factory was causing in the area.
The interesting part of this is the intervention of one Dugdale Houghton, who just happened to be at this meeting allegedly on other business. What a fucking coincidence eh when he was supposedly a farmer in Wales? He contested the view offered by the board member who had stated that the phosphorus works had ruined Oldbury. Houghton claimed that he owned property in the area and that a number of people had enquired about living there. Wowzers, old Dugdale must have had some form of ology eh? Did he not ponder if these works had been built in a fit and proper place? Was he not concerned or did he not ask local landowners if their animals had suffered any ill health? 😐
- It appears that the public gallery was not happy about the nuisance that Albright and Wilson was causing.
- I wonder how many cattle and crops had died?
- I wonder if they ever brought a case for damages?
I bet they did not because they had no means to do so, unlike the wanker Dugdale Houghton who defended chemical polluters in an area he had forsaken himself, but still expected others to live in, whereas an area he had chosen to live in to escape, he himself had claimed damages against a similar operation.
How amazing that it was alright for him to seek compensation from an industrial polluter when it inconvenienced him, yet praised AW for their pollution grime. This just once again shows how if you had money and connections you could buy justice or evade it.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those in power in the rotten borough of Oldbury obviously decided to name a street after this man at some point after death and the canal branch as well. There’s another Houghton Street in West Brom too, though I’m not certain that it was the same bloke. The Oldbury Houghton Street is not far from the chemical arm, and is a dead end industrial stubber. An old map shows either a marl hole or pool in the road, which I believe to be a remnant of the former Whimsey Colliery, and I wonder if this was also used ironically to infill with chemical crap too?
Survey that Bitch!
For all the praise he gave Albright and Wilson, Dugdale Houghton got little back in terms of legacy with poisonous toxic chemicals dumped in his branch. This would of course pollute the canal system where he was employed. Oh the true irony of how this branch was named after him! He is a forgotten opportunist grifter and total hypocrite. Tramp the dirt down on the soiled industrial grave named after him and shit on his name as well for good measure as a boundary post.