John Mowlem and George Burt
Swanage Entrepreneurs
John Mowlem could be described as Swanage’s own ‘Dick Whittington’. He left Swanage in 1807 as a stone mason, by 1822 he had became a self employed stone merchant, at Pimlico Basin, London and later made his fortune in Victorian London. Mowlem and his wife had no children – he took his wife’s nephew, George Burt, into his business in 1835. Burt became a partner in 1844 together with his brother-in-law Joseph Freeman
His first major job was the contract to re-pave Blackfriars Bridge with Guernsey granite setts in 1839.
The original bridge was built from, cast and wrought-iron, granite, brickwork, and Portland stone. The reason why this bridge required modifications was due to a rebuild of London Bridge in 1831, originally built in piers of which had long held back and slowed down the flow of the tides. The then faster-flowing river began to undermine Blackfriars Bridge. Extensive repairs were carried out in 1835 8
The original Blackfriars Bridge completed in 1769, a five-arched bridge, was to be named William Pitt Bridge after the current Prime Minister, but by the time of its completion Pitt had passed out of favour and it was instead named after the former Blackfriars monastery, on its north bank.
Black Friar Bridge London ref. 11
The company’s fortunes improved after the financial crisis of 1866-7 that brought down many great speculative contractors, this left Burt unimpeded, so that he was able to enter the list of major public works contractors, landing one of the biggest contracts then offered, the building Queen Victoria Street in the City (1869). His new status was secured by rebuilding Billingsgate Market (1874-7). He played a leading civil engineering role in London, notably the City of London School in 1880 (on the new Victoria Embankment), Smithfield fruit market in 1882, the Imperial Institute in 1887, as well as major sewerage and railway works 10 .
Burt collected relics of old London, often from his firm’s own demolitions, and re-erected many in Swanage, notably the porch for the post-fire Mercers’ Hall, now adorning the town hall. The firm John Mowlem & Co would go on to be an internationally known company.