Armstrong was an extremely impressive engineer, creating hydraulic cranes and accumulators early in his life. During the Crimean War, Armstrong developed a lighter, more mobile, field gun. This breech-loading gun, named the ‘Armstrong gun’ was far superior to all rival guns. Armstrong was knighted after giving the British government the gun patent.
Armstrong founded the Elswick Ordnance Company to manufacture armaments for the British government. In 1867 Armstrong turned his attention to naval guns, paying for the creation of the Tyne Swing Bridge. Whilst this gesture may seem philanthropic, the bridge was created to allow warships to have their guns fitted at Elswick and thus make an immense profit.
The Armstrong statue was listed as a racist statue that should have been taken down during the Black Lives Matter Movement of 2020...
The Elswick factory was the only factory in the world that could build and arm a warship completely. Elswick factory developed the 100-ton gun, the largest gun ever at the time. 15 were produced, arming two Italian battleships and to counter these, the British had 100-ton guns at Malta and Gibraltar.
Jesmond Dene was constructed in the 1860s for Armstrong and his wife to live in, it was gifted to the people of Newcastle in 1883 as a philanthropic gesture. Armstrong moved to Cragside near Rothbury, creating the world’s first house to be lit by hydroelectric power.
The Armstrong statue was listed as a racist statue that should have been taken down during the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 due to Armstrong selling arms to the pro-slavery confederacy during the American Civil War. It later transpired that Armstrong sold arms to both the Confederacy and the Union.
Armstrong’s legacy is a difficult subject, his engineering masterpieces including revolutionising Tower Bridge, building Swing bridge and creating hydraulic cranes for Liverpool Docks and Northern Railways, to name but a few are all remarkable creations. With various philanthropic ventures. However, the development of his armaments resulted in the vast and rapid expansion of British colonialism and oppression.
Armstrong famously stated that if he thought war would be instigated and humanity suffer from his creations then “I would greatly regret it, but I have no such apprehension”.
The refusal by Newcastle University to ‘Defund and Divest’ in relation to the genocide in Gaza is perhaps unsurprising when considering the institutionalised nature of arms manufacturing within Newcastle University.
Whilst a revolutionary engineer, the university graduation building should not be named after the father of modern armaments. Perhaps instead we should name our most important building after our greatest (honorary) graduate, Martin Luther King. King famously stated it isn’t enough to say we must not wage war, but that “We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace”.