190 / 213
in the street with the somewhat remarkable name of Overgaden neden Vandet
on Christianshavn. These premises had previously been used for very different
purposes and the machine-shop was installed in what had formerly been a
dance salon. The growing success o f the Company led to the purchase o f
neighbouring properties and the workshops were constantly being extended.
The Company took up shipbuilding, at the Englishman’ s Place on a hired area,
and after Baumgarten’ s retirement, an Englishman, William Wain (ill. p. iy6)
entered the firm in
i
86£. In 1872 the partnership was formed into the joint
stock company of Burmeister & Wain. By this time, the site of the old
powder factory had also been acquired (ill. pp. 1 6 1 , 162).
The church, Frederikskirken, (ill. pp.
i
6£, 167) was at one period famous
for its encumbent Nikolai Severin Frederik Grundtvig —author, priest, educa
tional reformer and finally and most remarkable o f all, Bishop. This last despite
his opposition to the Danish Established Church. He aimed to begin his work
in the neighbourhood with services in one of Holm ’ s lofts, but was given permis
sion to use the Frederik’ s Church for his nonconformist pastoral work, until few
years later he again got his own parish church in Copenhagen. Later the German
congregation dwindled, and the church was closed in 1886. It was reopened in
1 901 and reconsecrated as Christian’ s Church and became the parish church of
the neighbourhood. The old rectory was for many years a private school until
the buildings were acquired by Burmeister & Wain in 1930 (ill. p. 166).
An advertisement illustration from 1879 showing the extent of the Com
pany’ s properties on Christianshavn at that time (ill. p. 1 7 1 ) together with
two paintings from the 1 880 ’ s the one, an exterior view of the workshops
alongside Christianshavn Canal (ill. p. 179) and the other depicting the interior
of the old foundry (ill. p. 1 73) help to give a picture o f B &W in the latter
years of the nineteenth century.
Later extensions to B & W have meant that Christian’ s Church is now
entirely surrounded by the Company’ s buildings and these now extend the
whole way along the north side of Strandgade as far as Knippels Bridge. The
first bridge at this point was a wooden one, replaced in the 19th century by one
of iron built by B &W (ill. pp. 169, 175"). The present double bascule bridge is
actuated by machinery designed and built by Burmeister & Wain.
On the site formerly occupied by the houses o f Torvegade (ill. p. 1 77)
and close to Knippels Bridge, B & W are building their new administration
headquarters. Adjoining the offices there will be extensions to the diesel engine
works. The new B &W complex w ill then completely cover the site o f the
old shipyards that dated from the 17th and 18th centuries. B & W ’ s own ship
yard was moved to Refshale Island in 1874.