Bedford Iron Foundry

The Bedford Iron Foundry, dating to circa 1848, is likely situated on the site of a previous foundry. It is constructed from painted stone rubble, with a slate roof featuring gabled ends and a ridge ventilator. The building has truncated gable-end stacks and a small brick axial stack.

The building is rectangular, with a narrower, two-storey south range. The west front is asymmetrical, with four bays projecting and an eight-bay recessed section behind a deep eaves ventilator. A blocked segmental arch carriageway is centrally positioned, flanked to the right by two narrow round arch windows. To the right of the projecting section is a recessed area with four round arch windows and a taking-in door above three vehicular entrances; there is a large blocked entrance to the left and two tall round arch windows at the centre. The windows have multi-pane cast-iron frames with Gothic tracery at the top. The rear of the building is at a higher ground level with a central entrance.

The interior contains inserted floors and reveals exposed tie-beam and queen-strut roof trusses. The Bedford Iron Foundry was leased from the Duke of Bedford by Thomas Nicholls, John Williams, and Joseph Matthews in 1848. It was a significant iron foundry in Devon during the mid-19th century, producing machinery for mines in Devon, Cornwall, and overseas.