MORE than 165 years after the Iron Duke first came to Bradford on Avon, plans to bring the historic machine back to the town are underway and it could be back in its original site by the end of the year.

The 19th century machine calendaring rolled sheet rubber and cotton together at the Avon Rubber factory, set up by Stephen Moulton in 1849 which was the starting point for the town’s rubber works by Stephen Moulton.

The machine is not only seen as significant in the town’s history, it also in the history of technology as it paved the way for the process of making waterproof fabric.

The Iron Duke was named after Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, who built was given the nickname after building iron shutters on the windows of his London home.

Brian Derek, who was an Avon Rubber engineer on the Iron Duke for 45 years when it was at Avon Rubber, said he will be very emotional to see the machine make a return.

“It has been gone a long time but I am pleased that they are bringing it back to Bradford,” he added.

Mr Derek was just one of 30 engineers who worked on the Iron Duke. Even in the 1940s, it was considered to be old machinery which was only ever worked on to protect it from flooding.

It was decommissioned from use in the Avon Rubber factory in 1973 and has its pieces have since been kept in storage at the Industrial Museum in Bristol.

The machine, which has become an iconic feature for the former Bradford-based factory, is made up of large rollers which weigh three tons each and The Museum Society and Preservation Trust have been working to bring the machine back to the town for more than three years by the Museum Society and Preservation Trust.

Fundraising started in 2010 when Dr Alex Moulton, the great-grandson of Stephen Moulton, donated £10,000. It is expected to cost £45,000 in total.

The machine will be reassembled for public display near the old gate house in Kingston Road. Mervyn Harris, chairman of Bradford on Avon Museum Society, said it had been a struggle finding a suitable site.

He said: “It is an important part of Bradford on Avon and it should be sited near enough to where it was. I am delighted we can now move forward.”

When reassembled, the machine will stand 12ft high and weigh 16 tonnes. People should be able to touch it, with a layer of protective paint applied first.

It is hoped that the Iron Duke will be in the town by the end of the year.