William Hazledine

Who was William Hazledine?

William Hazledine 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.

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 and Plas Kynaston. In their time, these were among the most important centres of iron-bridge building expertise in Britain.