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Peter
Willans death the remaining shareholders decided to issue new shares to the public to raise capital to expand operations and meet demand for the company's engines and in particular for the large engines required to drive cotton and flax mills. The new shares were listed on the London Stock Exchange in July 1894.
71:(1851-1892) and Mark Robinson (1844-1923) in the 1870s at their Ferry Works site to manufacture high speed reciprocating steam engines for launches. The major advance was that Willan's engines had all working parts enclosed and they were splash-lubricated, this was new. They soon employed some 400 people.
91:
The Thames Ditton works were destroyed by fire in 1888 but they were rebuilt to a new and better design. That same year they formed a limited liability company to own the business. The partners and their friends subscribed for the first issue of shares and none were offered to the public. Following
107:
A new building in Pentre, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2DA was built in 1899 for the manufacture of water tube boilers and special steels. Advertised for sale as early as 1907 the workshops area was 150,000 square feet and it had a 1200 feet frontage to the LNW main line. Its operation was closed in
152:
In
October 1908 the chairman reported to shareholders that the new metallic filament lamps had much reduced the demand for electricity and, while it would doubtless be followed by a great extension of demand, for the present there was a check on the sale of steam turbines. There was however some
87:
joined the board in 1889 and was appointed chief engineer following
Willans' death shortly after being thrown from his dog cart on the way to Brookwood Station. Sankey designed the new works at Rugby and remained with the business and a board-member until 1905 when he left to become a consulting
74:
The rise of the
Electricity industry created a new demand for their engines. Their engines were designed to operate at a constant speed and were ideal for electricity generation. At their peak their central valve engines provided 68% of Britain's installed capacity for generation of electricity.
78:
In this period of prosperity
Willans was able to improve his designs and develop better manufacturing techniques, particularly the use of standardised interchangeable components. His research into the performance of his engines won him the reputation of having a scientific approach.
82:
Willans was the engineer, Robinson found the capital. Their new buildings at Thames Ditton (1888), Queensferry (1899) and Rugby (1896) were all of high quality and distinguished design. Son of a
General and by profession a military engineer
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The works were severely damaged by flood in 1894. Willans & Robinson moved their operation to Rugby in 1896 but Ferry Works at Ditton remained in use until 1980 by
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27:, England. They were manufacturers of stationary reciprocating steam engines then steam turbines, diesel motors and generators. They also ran their own foundry.
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224:
Peter Coulls, Alain Foote and John
Willock, address to Warwickshire Industrial Archaeology Society, May 2010 (reported in their newsletter No. 38, June 2010)
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English
Electric's success with diesel-electric traction sprang from the pioneering work carried out at Willans & Robinson, Rugby, from 1904.
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Soon after establishing their own fine new
Victoria Works in 1896 at Newbold Road, Rugby. CV21 2NH, Willans & Robinson began the switch to
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486:
393:
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In March 1909 it was announced
Willans & Robinson would be manufacturing water turbines, both Pelton and low-pressure wheels.
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grouping but Willans & Robinson retained its identity and some independent shareholders until 1935 when it was liquidated.
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generating set was retired in 1957 and placed on display here. In 2011 this was recognised with an
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In 1916 control of Willans & Robinson (86% later increased to 93% of the capital) was sold to
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to match the efficiency of their competition's double-acting designs. After new designer
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Amalgamated Association of Beamers, Twisters and Drawers (Hand and Machine)
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During World War I it became necessary to sell control of the business to
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In the 21st century Willans & Robinson's business is represented by
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960:
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General Union of Lancashire and Yorkshire Warp Dressers' Association
464:
753:
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433:"Victorian engine built in Rugby leaves for restoration in Wales"
96:
453:
45:
where it was taken by GEC in 1989 along with English Electric.
42:
153:
expansion in demand for Diesel engines and condensing plants.
532:
233:
Peter Turvey, ‘Willans, Peter William (1851–1892)’, rev.
259:
Company No:25665, the National Archives BT 31/4027/25665
1138:
North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association
114:
as "the most advanced British building of its date".
1133:
Lancashire Amalgamated Tape Sizers' Friendly Society
1098:
Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners
1369:
23:, Surrey. Later, from 1896, at Victoria Works,
1413:Defunct companies based in Rugby, Warwickshire
1103:Amalgamated Textile Warehousemen's Association
370:, Wednesday, Mar 17, 1909; pg. 18; Issue 38909
357:, Wednesday, Oct 07, 1908; pg. 17; Issue 38771
480:
383:, Thursday, Nov 01, 1917; pg. 11; Issue 41624
272:, Tuesday, Jan 31, 1888; pg. 11; Issue 32296.
48:
633:B. Hick and Sons / Hick, Hargreaves & Co
311:, Saturday, Apr 20, 1907; pg. 4; Issue 38312
285:, Saturday, Mar 17, 1894; pg. 3; Issue 34214
1403:Manufacturing companies established in 1980
1393:Manufacturing companies established in 1896
1383:Engineering companies of the United Kingdom
1153:United Textile Factory Workers' Association
1143:Northern Counties Textile Trades Federation
340:Display advertisement: 'English Electric'.
307:Houses, Land, &c., To Be Let And Sold.
250:, Monday, Oct 05, 1925; pg. 16; Issue 44084
487:
473:
344:, Friday, Feb 18, 1955; pg. 5; Issue 53169
298:, Monday, Jul 23, 1894; pg. 4; Issue 34323
320:Flintshire Record Office, Haw D/DM/532/5
220:
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216:
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210:
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121:
117:
58:
235:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
1370:
1398:British companies established in 1980
1388:British companies established in 1896
673:Yates & Thom / Yates of Blackburn
494:
468:
205:
63:High speed reciprocating steam engine
268:Money-Market and City Intelligence.
180:. In 2017 it was transferred to the
419:Institution of Mechanical Engineers
401:Institution of Mechanical Engineers
13:
1108:Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union
653:William Roberts & Co of Nelson
146:designs were built under licence.
14:
1424:
1128:General Union of Loom Overlookers
446:
187:
163:were manufactured under licence.
1113:Amalgamated Weavers' Association
551:
452:
543:Sidney Stott (later Sir Philip)
425:
407:
386:
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237:, Oxford University Press, 2004
182:Internal Fire – Museum of Power
1408:1896 establishments in England
971:Amalgamated Cotton Mills Trust
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110:The building was described by
102:
17:Willans & Robinson Limited
1:
946:Lancashire Cotton Corporation
920:Thomas Whitehead and Brothers
623:W & J Galloway & Sons
394:"Engineering Heritage Awards"
199:
724:John Hetherington & Sons
608:Clayton, Goodfellow & Co
415:"Central Valve Steam Engine"
67:The business was founded by
7:
709:Butterworth & Dickinson
19:manufacturing engineers of
10:
1429:
941:Fine Spinners and Doublers
549:
178:Engineering Heritage Award
126:Victoria Works, Rugby 2005
52:
49:Ferry Works, Thames Ditton
1352:John Kay (spinning frame)
1347:John Kay (flying shuttle)
1314:
1278:
1192:
1161:
1085:
992:Cotton-spinning machinery
979:
928:
807:
764:Parr, Curtis & Madely
714:Curtis, Parr & Walton
696:
593:Browett, Lindley & Co
560:
505:
1378:Stationary steam engines
789:Textile Machinery Makers
769:British Northrop Loom Co
688:Woolstenhulmes & Rye
638:John Musgrave & Sons
518:Bradshaw Gass & Hope
330:British Listed Buildings
34:They soon went into the
1306:Quarry Bank Mill, Styal
966:James Burton & Sons
956:Combined Egyptian Mills
794:Tweedales & Smalley
1002:Magnetic ring spinning
997:DREF friction spinning
678:Willans & Robinson
583:Bateman & Sherratt
459:Willans & Robinson
246:Captain Riall Sankey.
127:
64:
1179:Mule spinners' cancer
1148:The Textile Institute
1118:Cardroom Amalgamation
987:Textile manufacturing
799:T. Wildman & Sons
784:Taylor, Lang & Co
744:Howard & Bullough
734:John Pilling and Sons
668:Urmson & Thompson
578:Ashworth & Parker
403:(IMechE). p. 47.
194:Geoffrey de Havilland
125:
118:Victoria Works, Rugby
69:Peter William Willans
62:
1162:Employment practices
980:Industrial processes
598:Buckley & Taylor
523:F.W. Dixon & Son
461:at Wikimedia Commons
168:Dick, Kerr & Co.
161:Salmson aero engines
159:Through World War I
32:Dick, Kerr & Co.
1174:Kissing the shuttle
951:Bagley & Wright
890:George Augustus Lee
880:William Houldsworth
850:Nathaniel Eckersley
719:Dobson & Barlow
663:Scott & Hodgson
628:Benjamin Goodfellow
613:Earnshaw & Holt
25:Rugby, Warwickshire
830:Hugh Hornby Birley
774:Pemberton & Co
759:Mather & Platt
739:Harling & Todd
704:Brooks & Doxey
648:Petrie of Rochdale
643:J & W McNaught
588:Boulton & Watt
366:Industrial Notes.
353:Public Companies.
294:The Money Market.
138:left the business
128:
65:
1365:
1364:
1322:Richard Arkwright
1301:Weavers' Triangle
1296:Queen Street Mill
1077:Lancashire boiler
1007:Open-end spinning
929:Limited companies
895:Charles Macintosh
835:Joseph Brotherton
457:Media related to
1420:
1337:James Hargreaves
1235:Oldham (borough)
845:Peter Drinkwater
815:Elkanah Armitage
697:Machinery makers
555:
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437:Rugby Advertiser
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399:(5th ed.).
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112:Nikolaus Pevsner
36:English Electric
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1327:Samuel Crompton
1310:
1291:Helmshore Mills
1274:
1188:
1184:Piece-rate list
1157:
1081:
1052:Lancashire Loom
975:
936:Oldham Limiteds
924:
875:Richard Howarth
803:
749:Geo. Hattersley
692:
556:
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513:David Bellhouse
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439:. 20 June 2017.
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184:in West Wales.
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905:Samuel Oldknow
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729:Joseph Hibbert
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538:Stott and Sons
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188:Notable alumni
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174:Willans engine
132:steam turbines
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85:H Riall Sankey
55:Willans engine
53:Main article:
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1027:Spinning mule
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1012:Ring spinning
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26:
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21:Thames Ditton
18:
1342:Thomas Highs
1086:Associations
1062:Air-jet loom
1047:Roberts Loom
915:John Rylands
885:John Kennedy
860:William Gray
855:John Fielden
840:James Burton
677:
658:George Saxon
573:Ashton Frost
528:Edward Potts
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379:City Notes.
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136:H F Fullagar
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40:
29:
16:
15:
1357:Robert Owen
1067:Rapier loom
1042:Water frame
910:Robert Peel
870:Samuel Greg
865:Hannah Greg
825:Hugh Birley
808:Mill owners
140:C A Parsons
103:Queensferry
1372:Categories
1230:Manchester
1225:Lancashire
1220:Derbyshire
1169:More looms
1072:Dandy loom
961:Courtaulds
900:Hugh Mason
506:Architects
496:Lancashire
200:References
142:and later
88:engineer.
1270:Yorkshire
1255:Stockport
1200:LCC mills
618:Fairbairn
421:(IMechE).
381:The Times
368:The Times
355:The Times
342:The Times
309:The Times
296:The Times
283:The Times
270:The Times
248:The Times
1315:Pioneers
1260:Tameside
1245:Rochdale
1215:Cheshire
1037:Steaming
754:Asa Lees
1279:Museums
1250:Salford
1240:Preston
1032:Carding
172:A 1901
97:AC Cars
1205:Bolton
499:cotton
144:Curtis
43:Alstom
1265:Wigan
533:Stott
397:(PDF)
108:1910.
1210:Bury
1374::
435:.
417:.
207:^
99:.
488:e
481:t
474:v
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