IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON BUILDINGS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam,
of St. Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON BUILDINGS."
Sealed the 22nd June 1855, and dated the 10th February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hallen Cottam
and Henry Richard Cottam at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th February 1855.
We, GEORGE HALLEN COTTAM and HENRY RICHARD COTTAM, of St. Pancras
Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, do hereby declare the nature of the In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON BUILDINGS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of a peculiar combination of parts of the walls or
exteriors and interior partitions of iron buildings. For this purpose corrugated
sheet iron is used, the corrugations being in a horizontal position, and in making
such walls and partitions upright bars are employed with diagonal struts, so as
to produce buttresses, which are fastened by screws to horizontal timbers, or to
iron bars. The sheets of corrugated iron overlap at the edges both horizontally
and vertically, and they are fixed to the uprights, and the uprights to each
other, by screw bolts passing through them where two corrugated plates
overlap horizontally.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HALLEN COTTAM and HENRY RICHARD COTTAM, of St. Pancras Iron Works,
Old St. Pancras Road, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and. successors, give and grant unto us,
the said George Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam, Her special licence
that we, the said George Hallen-Cottam-and- Henry Richard Cottam, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George
Hallen Cottam and Richard Henry Cottam, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no. others, from time, to, time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON BUILDINGS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Hallen Cottam and
Henry Richard Cottam, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
<late of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, on behalf of
myself and George Hallen Cottam, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of a mode of constructing the enclosures and coverings
of iron buildings, with wrought-iron bars of bar, angle, or T iron, in such
manner that a space or opening is left between two upright bars for the recep-
tion of corrugated iron sheets, such sheets being lapped horizontally and also
vertically in the aforesaid space, and the upright bars and sheets secured
together by screw bolts, so forming a stiff enclosure or covering. To obtain
extra strength when required, we add diagonal struts or buttresses of wrought

page_text: iron secured to uprights, and tied with horizontal bars rivetted or bolted to
strutts and vertical bars. These uprights and buttresses are bolted to timbers
passing across the building, and forming ties to secure standards on each side,
and resting on foundations of brick or other material.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a sheet of corrugated iron for vertical sides, showing number
of bolts required to fix each sheet; Figure 2 shows a plan of standards and
part of sides; Figure 3 shows a section of side of building and side elevation
of uprights and diagonal struts; L, L, portion of roof, showing mode of
securing bars and sheets, and also roof to uprights. Figure 4 shows elevation
of one standard and part of roof, and corrugated sides, with the horizontal
and vertical laps.
A, A, back uprights; B, B, front uprights; C, C, the diagonal struts, &c.,
the ties for strengthening same; D, D, sheets of corrugated iron, showing hori-
zontal and vertical laps; E, E, bolts securing uprights and struts to horizontal
timbers; F, F, and H, H, bolts securing upright bars or standards and
corrugated sheets together.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that what we claim is, the
manufacture of front and back bars, with or without buttresses combined, with
the lapping of the corrugated sheets between the bars, and the bolting the bars
and corrugated sheets together; also the mode of bolting the standards to
horizontal ties stretching across the building.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
HENRY RICHARD COTTAM. (L.S.)