Charles Burrell's Works, Thetford

A walk around the former Charles Burrell's St Nicholas Works site in Thetford

Charles Burrell were a maker of traction engines in Thetford. The company's origins were in the 1770s as a forge for making and repairing agricultural tools in the town. They produced a portable steam engine in 1848 and a self propelled engine 8 years later from which many designs of traction engine were developed. They were perhaps best remembered for their showman's engines. After the first world war demand for steam powered machines dropped as huge numbers of military surplus internal combustion powered trucks and other machinery flooded the market. In the face of this decline a number of firms producing such machinery amalgamated to form the Agricultural & General Engineers Group. The Burrell works closed in 1928 with a few final orders for Burrell machinery being completed in the Richard Garrett & Sons works in Leiston.

In 1991 a museum was established on the former Paint Shop of the Burrell works, I visited this a few years back and also looked around some of the other surviving works buildings around it that are now in other uses, or currently between use.

Much more information can be found on the website for the Charles Burrell Museum

Below - Map of the works site from 1882 on display in the museum (click to enlarge).

1905 Map

Google Maps

Below - The former paint shop, now the Charles Burrell Museum.

Below - Burrell 3831 "Queen Mary".

Below - Examples of the machinery in the works, though not originally in this particular building it reproduces a scene from some of the lost works buildings.

Below - An example of a foundry and the tools it used.

Below - Burrell 2479. Note the amount of light allowed into the building, ideal for its purpose as a paint shop and also ideal for displaying items in its current museum use.

Below - Burrel 4061 steam roller from the gallery above.

Below - Burrel 4061 steam roller seen from the paint shop floor.

Below - A living van, variants of these would have accompanied many of the steam engines working on the roads for days on ends whether they were agricultural machines, road rollers or showmans engines hauling travelling fairs.

Below - Looking east along Minstergate with the former paint shop on the right. The buildings on the left are shown on the old map above as wood working shops. The paint shop isn't show on the map as it was built after 1882.

Below - Looking west along Minstergate with the former wood working shop now on the right and the general offices beyond.

Below - A view of the paint shop from the east, no longer possible as new houses have since been built in the empty space here.

Below - Former General Offices building, this building has since been refurbished. Above the door on the right the stone panel reads "St Nicholas Works", though this isn't clear on the picture.

Below - Another building that seems to date from after the 1882 map just west of the general offices buildings.

Below - A plaque on the above building.

Though these buildings along Minstergate survive most of the works has disappeared over the years since it closed. The erecting shop, boiler shop and turnery stood on the site now occupied by a supermarket and its car park.