Glenfield & Kennedy (Limited). Iron Founders and Hydraulic & Sanitary Engineers, Kilmarnock.
Kilmarnock: printed by the Smith Brothers, King street, for Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd., 1901. Quarto, original green cloth with gilt lettering; comprising a frontispiece followed by 12 separately paginated sections (in total exceeding four hundred pages). Illustrated with fine steel engravings throughout. The front board is a little stained, otherwise in excellent condition. An excellent industrial trade catalogue issued by the firm of Glenfield & Kennedy in Kilmarnock, Scotland. The catalogue includes many hundreds of items, principally comprising wares and machinery for plumbing, water reservoirs, water supply, fire-fighting and so forth. Dated August 1901, the catalogue features a frontispiece depicting a birds-eye view of the sprawling industrial works at Kilmarnock.
Of special interest are the large scale engineering works for water reservoirs and sewerage treatment plants. These include reservoir standposts and gangways, valve towers for reservoirs, syphon drawing off pipes, sluices and screens, leaping weirs, and so forth.
The range of wares offered for sale in this catalogue is considerable. A small selection of goods here follows: all manner of plumbing fittings and pipes; water meters; steam boilers; valves and regulators (including ball, reflux and flotation valves); sluices and steam valves; sewerage equipment; water closets, ventilation shafts and related goods. One section advertises fire hydrants and fire-fighting equipment.
Of special interest to historians of civic planning and design is a separately paginated section of some 32 pages devoted to drinking fountains. Designs vary from utilitarian to decorative. For ponds and pools, the firm of Glenfield & Kennedy manufactured ornamental fountain jets (which are illustrated in this catalogue).
Clearly the company invested in the development of testing and safety apparatus, and the catalogue includes some novel inventions. These include an alarm for detection of burst water main pipes, a weir gauge and water level recorder, and also a patent electric water level indicator.
This is the second such catalogue we have handled. The first, dated 1885, was issued before the amalgamation of the Kennedy Patent Water Meter Company and the Glenfield Iron Foundry. Item #4206
Price (AUD): $600.00