Bradford inventor Samuel Fox is ancestor of acting dynasty family

The spa town witnessed the first thoroughfares in the world, lit with his Fox Water-Gas. Now the spotlight is firmly on the man, thanks to a new play.

“Maybe I’m being a little over the top here, but there’s a sort of Elon Musk quality to him,” says actor Freddie Fox - who is the great great grandson of Samson. “Somebody who is a totally self-made man. Who has used his money for the community of not just Harrogate, but the world.”

Actor Freddie Fox (Image: Submitted)

Born into poverty in Bradford in 1838, Samson Fox worked in mills from the age of nine. In a true rags to riches story, the engineer and inventor help to spearhead the Industrial Revolution.

The remarkable story of one of the UK’s most meteoric inventors is told in The Man Who Captured Sunlight, performed in the theatre Samson was instrumental in building - Harrogate’s Royal Hall. Fox was Mayor of Harrogate from 1889-1892 and is the forebear of the famous Fox acting dynasty. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren have starred in movies such as Day of the Jackal (Edward Fox) and hit TV dramas Silent Witness (Emilia Fox) and The Crown (Freddie Fox).

Samson Fox was born in Bowling, the son of a mill worker. The family moved to Leeds and Samuel became an apprentice in a toolmaking and foundry company. By his late twenties he was running his own toolmaking business. In 1874 he set up the Leeds Forge Company, producing iron for locomotive and marine engine parts. It was for developing the corrugated boiler flue, enabling smaller boilers working at higher pressures to be used with improved safety, that he became famous. Fox Corrugated was adopted by the Admiralty and major steamship lines. He went on to build iron railway undercarriages and trucks, sold around the world.

Samuel Fox, third from right, with his family (Image: Submitted)

Gavin Collinson, writer of the play, said: “His projects were all big and bold, at the heart of them was his desire to make life better for everyone. He was all about safer transport, better public lighting, cheaper rail travel. To be honest, we could do with a Samson Fox in the UK right now!”

Hollywood movie Diamond Jim was inspired by one of his inventions that revolutionised the US railroads.

A philanthropist, Samson provided for the poor in Harrogate and was a major donor to the Arts, integral to building London’s Royal College of Music, as well as Harrogate’s Royal Hall. “These are things that have benefited millions of people over the course of history,.” Freddie says. “Sure, there was the burning, rugged individualism of someone who wanted to succeed and create inventions, but also this altruistic tenor to everything he did. How do we make the world a better place for people? How do we make people’s lives better?”

He was a visionary: “Samson was the early forerunner of hydrogen power, which is what everyone is turning cars on to now. It’s remarkable how ahead of the curve he was. A celebration of his genius is long overdue. No-one really knows who he was, yet if you trace the history of his inventions and their legacy, he’s probably one of the most important names in industry for this country.”

Gavin agrees, describing him as a ‘Northern dynamo’: “Samson hauled himself and his family from poverty to be become one of the most successful and famous men of his day.”

This remarkable legacy includes Fox’s descendants, the acting dynasty that includes Freddie, son of actors Edward Fox and Joanna David and younger brother of Emilia Fox.

The idea for the play came from sisters Clair and Ann Challenor-Chadwick who run ethical Harrogate creative agency, Cause UK. Said Clair: “Ann always spoke about Samson Fox and how his story should be championed. We felt there should be a statue or something. Meeting Freddie inspired me to do something that showcased his legacy - namely, the Royal Hall and this remarkable family of actors.”

While promoting the Harewood Proms headlined by Alfie Boe in September 2021, the pair were helping out backstage. Freddie was invited by Alfie to perform some Bowie numbers. Freddie’s uncle, actor Robert Fox, was a friend of Bowie’s and produced his musical Lazarus. Clair picked up Freddie from Harrogate station. “It was immediate how interested she was in the history of my family,” says Freddie. “We started throwing ideas around in the car. She said, ‘Maybe a play about Samson’s life that the Fox family could be involved with? I said, ‘Yeah that sounds amazing’. I didn’t necessarily think anything would come from it. Within six months she sent over a really good play.”

The sisters commissioned local historian Malcolm Neesam to write Samson’s life story. Malcolm died in June and the play is in his memory. Freddie, 33, says: “When Emilia did the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? it was Malcolm who showed who my great, great grandfather is.”

Samson is Freddie’s middle name. Growing up, all he knew of him was a photo in his parent’s house. “I see him looking very Victorian, dressed to the nines with this enormous beard. Dad told me he had the loudest bark in Yorkshire.”

Freddie starred as Jeremy Bamber in ITV crime drama White House Farm and Mark Thatcher in Netflix hit The Crown and he’s in the second series of Emmy-nominated comedy, The Great. Staging an original play about Samson is important, he says: “Regardless of my connection with the Royal Hall, the notion of celebrating new theatre work there is vital. It’s part of our cultural history.”

* The Man Who Captured Sunlight (Q&A with Freddie Fox post matinee performance) is at Harrogate’s Royal Theatre Hall on Friday, September 23 at 2.30pm and 7pm. Visit harrogatetheatre.co.uk