New Street Works
| New Street Works | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Status | Unoccupied, Grade II listed |
| Type | Manufacturing plant |
| Architectural style | Edwardian/Art Deco |
| Address | New Street |
| Town or city | Chelmsford |
| Country | England |
| Groundbreaking | 26 February 1912 |
| Inaugurated | 22 June 1912 |
| Client | Guglielmo Marconi/Marconi Company |
| Landlord | Ashwell Property Group (In receivership) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) (As built) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | W.Dunn and R.Watson |
| Website | |
| New Street Works @ Industrious Southeast | |
The New Street Works were built for the Marconi Company in Chelmsford, England in 1912, credited as being the first purpose-built radio factory in the world.
Guglielmo Marconi had established his company offices at the former silk-works on Hall Street, Chelmsford in 1898. It was the world's first wireless factory, making maritime SOS equipment that played a vital role in ensuring the rescue of survivors from both the Titanic and Lusitania liners. But 14 years later, these were deemed too small for the expanding concern.
Purchasing a plot of land on part of the old Essex County Cricket Club ground on New Street, Marconi commissioned architects W.Dunn and R.Watson to design a new purpose-built factory. From conception to completion, the project took only 17 weeks, with construction work commencing work on 26 February 1912. Providing 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) of production space equipped with the latest tools and laboratories, the changeover between Hall St. and New St. happened in just one weekend. The Works were opened and ready for inspection on 22 June 1912 by the delegates of the International Radiotelegraphic Conference, each of whom was issued with a commemorative booklet. The site is credited with being the world’s first purpose-built radio factory, giving Chelmsford the claimed title "Home of the radio".
In 1919, two 450 feet (140 m) aerial masts were added to the site. In 1920, a number of licences were issued by the General Post Office in accordance with the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1904, for the purpose of conducting experimental transmissions. The first occurred from New Street Works on 15 June 1920, featuring Dame Nellie Melba singing two arias and her famous trill, with the signal received throughout Europe and as far away as Newfoundland, Canada. The event today is commemorated by a blue plaque.
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Wikipedia