Architectural ironmongery or architectural hardware is a term used for the manufacture and wholesale distribution of items made from iron, steel, brass, aluminium or other metals, including plastics, for use in all types of buildings. Architectural ironmongery includes door handles, closers, locks, cylinder pulls and hinges (door furniture), window fittings, cupboard fittings, iron railings, handrails, balustrades, switches and sockets.
The term is sometimes used to distinguish between these items and retail of consumer goods sold in ironmongers' shops or hardware stores.
Use of ironware in buildings has a long tradition, with local blacksmiths producing items for use in houses, churches and other buildings. During the Industrial Revolution, mass production of ironmongery became more widespread, though businesses often remained regionally focused. For example, in the UK, Laidlaw was founded in Manchester in 1876; [1] Derby-based Bennetts Ironmongery can trace its history back to 1734; [2] William Tonks & Sons was established in Leeds in 1789; and Quiggins served the Victorian era Liverpool market. The West Midlands region saw several well-known businesses established: Parker Winder & Achurch started in Birmingham in 1836, [3] J Legge in Willenhall in 1881, [4] and William Newton in Wolverhampton in 1750 (relocating to Birmingham in the 1820s). [5]
After the Second World War, the industry began to consolidate. For example, the Newton and Tonks businesses merged in 1970, acquired Legge in 1988 [4] and Laidlaw in 1993, and were then taken over by Ingersoll Rand in 1997, and are today part of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. [5]
The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers was established in 1961 to promote standards in the business of architectural ironmongery. It manages an industry accreditation scheme, GuildMark, and runs an education programme, including a three-year diploma course and a Registered Architectural Ironmonger (RegAI) scheme. [6]
The University of Birmingham is a public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham, and Mason Science College, making it the first English civic or 'red brick' university to receive its own royal charter, and the first English unitary university. It is a founding member of both the Russell Group of British research universities and the international network of research universities, Universitas 21.
Willenhall is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England, with a population taken at the 2011 census of 28,480. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire. It lies upon the River Tame, and is part of the Black Country.
Melanie Thandiwe Newton, formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress.
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for use at home or for business. Many hardware stores have specialty departments unique to its region or its owner's interests. These departments include hunting and fishing supplies, plants and nursery products, marine and boating supplies, pet food and supplies, farm and ranch supplies including animal feed, swimming pool chemicals, homebrewing supplies and canning supplies. The five largest hardware retailers in the world are The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kingfisher of the United Kingdom, Obi of Germany, and Leroy Merlin of France.
Darlaston is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is located near Wednesbury and Willenhall.
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., formerly known as The Stanley Works, is a Fortune 500 American manufacturer of industrial tools and household hardware and provider of security products. Headquartered in the greater Hartford city of New Britain, Connecticut, Stanley Black & Decker is the result of the merger of Stanley Works and Black & Decker on March 12, 2010.
Michael Legge is a retired Irish actor.
The Victoria Law Courts is a red brick and terracotta judicial building, which accommodates Birmingham Magistrates' Court, on Corporation Street, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
Schlage is an American lock manufacturer founded in 1920 by Walter Schlage. Schlage was headquartered in San Francisco from its inception until it relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1997. Schlage also produces high-security key and cylinder lines Primus, Everest, and Everest Primus XP. Schlage is one of the most popular brands of consumer and commercial locks in the United States.
Randal E. Bryant is an American computer scientist and academic noted for his research on formally verifying digital hardware and software. Bryant has been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University since 1984. He served as the Dean of the School of Computer Science (SCS) at Carnegie Mellon from 2004 to 2014. Dr. Bryant retired and became a Founders University Professor Emeritus on June 30, 2020.
Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium, brass, or other metals, as well as plastics.
The Häfele Group is a German family enterprise with its head office in Nagold. Häfele is the leading international manufacturer and supplier of furniture fittings and architectural hardware, with customers in more than 150 countries.
Trane is a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with building management systems and controls. The company is a subsidiary of Trane Technologies, a company focused on manufacturing HVAC and refrigeration systems. Trane employs more than 29,000 people at 104 manufacturing locations in 28 countries, and has annual sales of more than US$8 billion.
Joseph James Moir (1809–1874) was a prominent builder, ironmonger, citizen and shot manufacturer in 19th century Tasmania. He is best known for building the Taroona Shot Tower, but also built St Mark's Anglican Church, Pontville, issued tokens in his own name during a currency shortage in the colony, and served as an alderman on Hobart City Council.
Trane Technologies plc is a manufacturing company focused on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration systems. The company traces its corporate history back more than 150 years and was created after a series of mergers and spin-offs. In 2008, HVAC manufacturer Trane was acquired by Ingersoll Rand, a US industrial tools manufacturer. In 2020, the tools business was spun off as Ingersoll Rand and the remaining company was renamed Trane Technologies.
Mitsubishi Electric United States is the principal subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in the United States. It is headquartered in Cypress, California and was incorporated in 2002 and its affiliates, have roughly 31 locations throughout North America with approximately 5,000 employees. Its main affiliate companies are: Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc.; and Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
Dresser-Rand is an American engineering and manufacturing company owned by Siemens Energy. The company designs, manufactures, and services equipment used in the extraction of petroleum and natural gas. The company was formed in 1986 as a joint venture of Dresser Industries and Ingersoll Rand.
Walsall Museum Service's nationally significant Hodson Shop Collection comprises the unsold shop stock of a general drapers' shop in the small town of Willenhall in the West Midlands of England. It contains everyday clothing from the mid-twentieth century aimed at ordinary working-class and lower middle-class women and their children. These are garments and accessories that rarely find their way into museum collections, making this an unusual and interesting resource for the study of everyday clothing.
The Hardware Store is a heritage-listed row of shops at 74-78 Churchill Street, Childers, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by F H Faircloth and built in 1902. It is also known as Mitre 10, Silly Solly's, Pettigrew's Hardware, and Wyper Brothers Ironmongery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The Birmingham Banking Company was a bank that operated in Birmingham, West Midlands from 1829 to 1889, and as The Metropolitan and Birmingham Bank from 1889 to 1892, the Metropolitan, Birmingham and South Wales Bank from 1892 to 1893, and the Metropolitan Bank (of England and Wales) from 1893 to 1914, when it was acquired by the Midland Bank.