The Gun Makers of Birmingham, 1660-1960

by Joseph McKenna

Overview

Tracing the history and development of gun-making in Birmingham, England--for many years a center of the world's firearms industry--this book covers innovations in design and manufacture of both military and sporting arms from 1660 through 1960. The city is perhaps best known for mass-producing some of the most battle-tested weapons in history, including the Brown Bess musket, the Webley revolver and the Lee-Enfield rifle. Yet Birmingham's gun-makers have carried on a centuries-long tradition of crafting high quality hand-made sporting guns.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476641461
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/08/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	258
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joseph McKenna is a retired local studies librarian, with over 30 years experience working in the Central Library in Birmingham, England. He formerly sat on the City Council's Conservation Advisory Areas Committee.
Joseph McKenna is a retired local studies librarian, with over 30 years' experience working in the Central Library in Birmingham, England. He formerly sat on the City Council's Conservation Advisory Areas Committee.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Early Years
2. A Period of Transition
3. The Triumph of the Birmingham ­Gun Makers
4. Two World Wars
5. Postwar Decline
6. The Gun Makers of Birmingham, 1660–1960
7. Black Country Gun Workers
Appendix I: “Brown Bess” by Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)
Appendix II: Birmingham Gun Firms at the Great Exhibition, 1851
Appendix III: Chronological Location of Manufacturers in the Gun Quarter, 1777–1957
Appendix IV: Displacement of Gun Making Firms and Subsidiaries, Owing to the Cutting of the Inner Ring Road
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index