Introduction
William Hazledine (1763, in Waters Upton, Shropshire – 26 October 1840, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire) was a pioneering English Ironmaster whose talent for casting structural ironwork helped to realise the designs of engineers such as Thomas Telford and architects including Henry Goodridge and Charles Bage. Hazledine's expertise in manufacturing and testing large iron castings was critical to the success of these pioneering projects.
Biography
Hazledine grew up in a rural setting and was trained as a millwright. Through a family connection, he took a senior position in a local forge and later set up in business with a partner. After that partnership was dissolved, Hazledine set up a number of foundries supplying large structural castings, notably at Coleham, Shrewsbury, and Plas Kynaston, (Cefn Mawr). In their time, these were among the most important centres of iron-bridge building expertise in Britain. Some of his work was for projects by Thomas Telford, also a friend.
He served as Mayor of Shrewsbury for 1835–36.
Three brothers of William Hazledine were the founders in about 1792 of Hazledine and Company, an ironworks in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
Structures
Hazledine's legacy is a range of spectacular structures including:
- Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury (1797)
- Chirk Aqueduct, Froncysyllte, (1799)
- Bonar Bridge, Scotland (1811–1812)
- Craigellachie Bridge, Scotland (1812–1814)
- Menai Suspension Bridge (1819–1826)
- Mythe Bridge, Tewkesbury (1823–1826)
- Aldford Iron Bridge, Eaton Hall, Cheshire (1824)
- Conwy Suspension Bridge (1824–1826)
- Cleveland Bridge, Bath (1826)
- Stretton Aqueduct, Staffordshire (1832-3)
Namesakes
In Coleham, "Hazeldine (sic) Crescent" and "Hazledine Court" were named for him, as were "Hazledine Way", part of Shrewsbury's later 20th century inner ring road, linking Reabrook housing estate to Meole Brace.