Furphy’s Foundry and staff in Wyndham St, Shepparton.
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Wyndham St’s first building
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On the wall between 294 and 298 Wyndham St today (Chinese Massage and Mustafa’s Kebab & Gozleme), you will see the plaque (pictured) that signifies the original location of the first building in Wyndham St, paradoxically a blacksmith/foundry and, on Sundays, a church.
The article below details the building of the foundry, and a few months back, I detailed the history of the United Free Methodist Church in a series of articles about Shepparton’s early churches.
Plaque dedicated to Wyndham St’s first building.
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HOME OF THE FURPHY FOUNDRY
“The Furphy Foundry is one of the early industries of Shepparton, having had its origin in 1873. It was pioneered by the late Mr John Furphy, and those who know Shepparton only as it is laid out today, find it difficult to picture the main shopping centre of the town, Wyndham St, with an iron foundry set down on a site past which hundreds of shoppers now hurry every week.
But when Mr John Furphy planned the building for the foundry, which was to bring a measure of fame to his family name, there was no other building of any kind on Wyndham St.
The site that he chose was almost opposite the present post office, one being Emry’s hardware store and the other, until recently, being leased to Mr McGill.
In view of the reference made on another page to the development of the improvement and manufacture of farm machinery, it is interesting to note that the original Furphy foundry engaged in the manufacture of strippers, and it is intriguing to contemplate the type of machine which was then produced and contrast it with the highly efficient, labour-saving devices of today.
Furphy’s Foundry Agricultural Machine and Implement Works, Wyndham St advert 1889.
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Strippers are not now numbered among the products of the Furphy Foundry, but that is not a matter of surprise in view of the extensive development which has taken place since the establishment of the firm, demanding specialisation in the manufacture and continual research and experiment.
In place of this unit of farming machinery, the firm has built up its own specialised trade, the ramifications of which are comparable, even if on a smaller scale, with those of the firms which have been developed to meet the implement requirements of the farmer.
Ploughs, “horse works,” and other farming machinery were included in the activities of the original foundry.
When, however, the business was moved to its present site (see Hoskin St photo), near the railway station, the transfer being effected at the close of the last century, attention was concentrated on specialisation in the manufacture of water carts, spike rollers, swingle trees and plough wheels.
Furphy’s Foundry and Cement Works, Hoskin St, Shepparton.
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On its new site, the undertaking prospered, although, with the introduction of improved and modern methods of production, there was a falling off in the number of hands employed. In contra-distinction, the output of the foundry greatly increased.
In 1929, the undertaking was incorporated into a proprietary company, without change in the administrative personnel.
It continues to specialise in the manufacturing of lines upon which its prosperity was built, but is concentrating more attention than formerly on the repairing and replacement of farming machinery.”
– Shepparton Advertiser, 1934
Geoff Allemand is an amateur photographer and Lost Shepparton Facebook page admin. Please share your Pics from the Past at pastpics@mmg.com.au
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