Photo of Bodley’s foundry

This picture shows the casting of the last 15ft gearwheel in 1967. The company closed that year following the death of Miss Elsie Bodley, the last direct descendent of the family. The prestige of the foundry was preserved by the dismantling of the machinery and its subsequent distribution to the Science Museum in Kensington. The site of the foundry, however, did not enjoy preservation, but was flattened to make space for developing the left bank of the Exe.

Publication: Minchinton, W. 1974: Devon at Work, Past and Present, David and Charles, Newton Abbot.

Acknowledgments: Exeter City Museums