Lincoln Companis: Charles Duckering & Co. Ltd.

 

Duckering & Co. Ltd. stands as a proud symbol of Lincoln’s industrial heritage, representing over a century of innovation, craftsmanship, and resilience. From humble beginnings to engineering breakthroughs, the company’s story is woven into the fabric of the city’s economic and cultural development.

Origins of a Lincoln Iron Foundry

The journey began in 1845, when Richard Duckering partnered with Edward Burton to establish Burton and Duckering, an iron and brass foundry specialising in agricultural implements and kitchen ranges. Despite a devastating fire in 1847 at Waterside South, Duckering rebuilt and expanded the business, showcasing products like plough castings, fencing, and brass machinery components by 1856.

Growth and Generational Leadership

Charles Duckering 1841-1916

After Richard’s death, his son Charles Duckering took the reins, renaming the company and relocating operations to Waterside North—a site now occupied by the YMCA and a car park. Under Charles’s leadership, the foundry flourished, diversifying its offerings and becoming a fixture in Lincoln’s industrial scene. He retired in 1912, passing the business to his grandson, also named Richard Duckering.

Expansion into Locomotive Engineering

In 1920, the company became Duckering & Co. Ltd., a limited liability company with ambitions for growth. A major milestone came in 1930, when it acquired locomotive engineering drawings from Clayton Wagons, marking a bold expansion beyond traditional ironfounding.

Innovation and Retail Presence

While iron founding remained central, Duckering & Co. embraced innovation with products like corn grinding machines. In 1907, the company opened a hardware showroom on Monks Road, bringing its craftsmanship directly to the public.

End of an Era, Legacy Lives On

The company closed in 1964, ending a remarkable chapter in Lincoln’s industrial story. Yet its legacy endures—drain grates, manhole covers, and lampposts bearing the Duckering name still dot the city, silent witnesses to a bygone era.

Why Duckering & Co. Ltd. Still Matters

Duckering & Co. Ltd. wasn’t just a business—it was a symbol of adaptation, craftsmanship, and community impact. Its contributions to Lincoln’s industrial development continue to inspire, reminding us of the power of resilience and innovation.

Lincoln's Industrial Revolution

In The Decline and Rise of Lincoln I wrote about how Lincoln fell from its position as one of the most important cities in England to a rural backwater hardly able to support itself. Now I will cover the times when Lincoln grew in prosperity again but never regained it’s former importance. In 1821 Lincoln’s population was 11,776, while Boston’s, which gained the Staple from Lincoln in 1369, stood at 10,373.

Lincoln was about to go through immense change, Richard Ellison had purchased a 999 year lease on the Fosdyke Canal in 1740 and set about improving navigation on the canal and the river Witham east of Lincoln. Farm produce and others goods could be sent from Lincoln by barge to other parts of the country and coal and lime could be brought in. Lincoln, surrounded by agriculture, was late in embracing the Industrial Revolution.

It was the 1840s when the Industrial Revolution arrived in Lincoln.  These people made a massive contribution to the growth of prosperity of Lincoln, click on the links to learn about their companies
William Rainforth
Nathaniel Clayton and Joseph Shuttleworth
Richard Duckering
Robert Robey
William Foster
Joseph Ruston
John Cooke

... and many more

Lincoln's Waterside Industrial Area Today 

Lincoln was one of the last major centres of population in England connected to the railway, the Midland Railway arrived in Lincoln in 1846 and the Great Northern in 1848, bringing with them traffic delays on Lincoln’s High Street.

In the period 1841 to 1861 Lincoln’s population grew by over 50% to almost 21,000, the population of St Swithin’s and St Peter at Gowts parishes, where most of the engineering firms were based, almost doubled.  At the end of the 19th century the population of Lincoln was 48,784 more than three times that of Boston.

Clayton & Shuttleworth's Iron Works in 1869