Accles & Pollock is a British tube manipulation company based in Oldbury, West Midlands.
The company was started in 1896 by James George Accles as Accles Ltd, based at Holford Mill in Perry Barr in Birmingham as a producer of cold-drawn steel tubing, with the aim of supplying it to the bicycle industry. Accles, employed by Colt 1867–1886, designed the Accles machine gun circa 1888; this was a modified Gatling gun. [1] [2] This company was liquidated in 1898 and Accles' secretary, Charles Barlow, took over, the company becoming the Accles Tube Syndicate, and being renamed Accles and Pollock in 1901, after financial backing was provided by Mr. Tom Pollock.
In 1902 the company moved to nearby Oldbury, and always listed itself as being in 'Oldbury, Birmingham'. [3] Here they produced the first tubular box spanners in 1905, and the first tubular sections for aircraft and the first tubular furniture in 1907. [4] In 1909 two acres of land were acquired in Rounds Green, Oldbury which became Paddock Works. In 1913 they started manufacturing tubular steel shafts for golf clubs, having patented a process for producing seamless tapered tubes, but these were banned by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and so these could not be sold in Britain, although their use was permitted in America. The Accles & Pollock tube brand is currently owned by Tyco.
Accles and Pollock was a leading British bicycle tubing manufacturer. Many leading bike builders in the UK during the 1930s, 40s and 50s preferred to use their tubesets as they were air hardening, which become stronger when brazed, unlike the manganese based Reynolds tube which is weakened by heating. Accles and Pollock Kromo tubing was used by Hobbs of Barbican, Rattrays of Glasgow "The Flying Scot" and Thanet in their "Silverlight" model.
The one-off Seddon Mayfly aircraft was built by Accles and Pollock, and used their tubes for much of its airframe. [5]
The chronology of Accles & Pollock is as follows: [6]
The archives for Accles & Pollock are held at Sandwell Community History and Archives Service
A slingshot or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pouch that holds the projectile. One hand holds the frame, while the other hand grasps the pocket and draws it back to the desired extent to provide power for the projectile—up to a full span of the arms with sufficiently long bands.
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Reynolds Technology is a manufacturer of tubing for bicycle frames and other bicycle components based in Birmingham, England established in 1898.
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TI Group plc was a holding company for specialised engineering companies. It was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and was listed on the London Stock Exchange, at one point being a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
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Orrcon Steel, a part of the BlueScope group, is an Australian distributor and manufacturer of steel, tube and pipe. It is an Australian distributor and manufacturer of steel, tube and pipe. Their product range covers RHS, SHS & CHS structural tubular steel, hot rolled structural steel and a variety of fencing, roofing and building accessories. They have employed over 600 Australians to produce and supply steel products.
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The Seddon Mayfly was a tandem biplane of unusual construction. It was designed by Royal Navy Lieutenant John W. Seddon and A. G. Hackett and built by Accles & Pollock. When built it was the largest aeroplane in the world, but it failed to fly when tested.
