Anstice Memorial

The Anstice Institute and Workman's Club was built in 1866 to honour the memory of John Anstice. Its red-bricked facade is a mixture of Norman and Gothic styles designed by John Johnson of London and cost £3,000 to build. A reading room and library with approximately 2,000 volumes, smoking room and offices and a large hall capable of holding 600 people were part of the original building. A management committee was elected by the members and finance arranged via subscriptions and an endowment fund.

The Anstices, during the 19th century, were mine owners and ironmasters and lived at Madeley Wood Hall. Their interests in local mines and ironworks were extensive, owning the Madeley Wood Company.

The Anstices inherited The Madeley Wood Ironworks and several other enterprises from the great William Reynolds, who was a cousin of William Anstice. The Bedlam Furnaces at Madeley Wood were moved to the Blists Hill Works beside the Shropshire Canal in 1832 to make the company more profitable.

The family were also involved heavily in the community, being Justices of the Peace, officers in local regiments and benefactors. John Anstice, after whom the Anstice Memorial Hall was named, had the reputation of being a generous man who got on well with his workers - keeping them employed during difficult times. Safety was paramount in his works, and he was known to weep with the bereaved when accidents did occur.

He was not a well man, and despite suffering from painful illness he was always prepared to give wise counsel to those who approached him for help or advice. After his death in 1866 it was felt that something should be done to honour him.

At the inauguration of the Anstice Memorial Hall another Ironmaster, William Orme Foster, stated that it was a privilege to dedicate the building to the memory of John Anstice and to hand down to posterity his name in association with it.

Fact File

Anstice Memorial