[1] In 1866 Somers was given a loan of £100 by his father and took on a short lease on an ironworks complex at Mucklow Hill, Halesowen, establishing a forgemaster business.
Initially focused on production of chains and anchors, the business later also produced axles and railway buffers.
By the last decade of the 19th century, it was delivering forgings to Admiralty specifications - a customer relationship that continued throughout World War I. Somers' company also produced parts of the anchors used on the RMS Titanic.
Overhead lines from a generator at Somers' works supplied current for the house until the 1920s when it connected to public services.
The business was acquired by the local Folkes Group in the 1990s and the main Mucklow Hill site operates as Somers Forge Ltd.