Photo Album Three INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE Frome has had a variety of industries over the years. As one of the main woollen cloth centres during the late mediaeval period, Frome relied on the abundant water available to power many local mills producing cloth for export. There were several metal foundries in Frome, some still exist, and lots of breweries making good use of the hard water in the area to produce beer. Frome is well known in the printing trade and also since the last war for dairy products.   J W SINGER & SONS Local man, Joseph Singer, started a small foundry producing brass candlesticks, crucifixes, bookstands etc., for churches and progressed to bronze statuary and even shell cases during WW1.   CHARLIE ROBBINS - BOADICEA - ST JOHN'S CHURCH SCREEN Just three of the many well known items produced by Singers. Charlie Robbins was the model for this WW1 soldier, Boadicea on her chariot sits opposite the House of Commons in London and the screen which divides the Lady Chapel from the Nave in St Johns Church, Frome. BUTLER & TANNER A Mr Butler relocated his Frome town centre printing works to Selwood Road and about 1857 Joseph Tanner was taken on as partner. By 1892 they were employing between 400 and 500 people.   SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS Eventually, due to lack of space, Butler & Tanner Printing Works moved to Adderwell, flourishing until 2007, was taken over in 2008 and continued for a few more years before closing. BESWICKS Founded by Kenneth & Bob Beswick the company relocated to Frome from Essex, at the request of the Air Ministry in 1939. They produced specialist fuses for the car and aviation industry and became one of Frome's largest employers.   BESWICKS WORKFORCE After the war Beswicks became the largest manufacturer of the domestic fuse, with their trademark Alert or Bussmann seen on each one. The factory closed in 1999 when the business transferred to China. WALLBRIDGE FACTORY Alfred Tucker set up manufacturing cloth and expanding the Wallbridge factory from about 1870 and survived until 1965.   STAPLEMEAD CREAMERY A few days before the outbreak of WW2 the head office of Express Dairies in London was re-located to Frome. Since then Express Dairies has become a subsidiary of Dairy Crest and is still thiving as Andros Foods Company. THE LAMB BREWERY This section of the old Lamb Brewery has been converted into flats. The main factory built in 1858 but now demolished, was on the traffic island, seen here in the foreground.   THE LAMB SYMBOL The lamb was used as a trademark for the brewery but the image changed over the years.