On 31st October we were delighted to welcome HRH Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO to officially open our new forging facilities.

HRH Duke of Gloucester (right) opening the Riverdale Forge Building. Ian Lane, Director (left) looks on.
The building in which these are housed has now been officially named “The Riverdale Forge” which takes Chapmans back to our origins as in March 1945 Lady Riverdale laid the foundation stone for our main factory, which today houses our presswork and heat treatment operations.
- Aerial view taken of the site in 1952.
- Present day showing new ‘Riverdale Forge’ building.
As well as meeting some of our long standing operators, HRH was able to inspect the significant investments that we have made recently, such as large component forming and PLC controlled quenching. In conjunction with the forge itself, these new processes will provide the foundations for the Company’s next exciting period of growth.
- Demonstrating our latest CAD CAM software to HRH Duke of Gloucester.
- David Hall, Forge Manager, explains our Forging Process to our royal guest.