 Crompton Parkinson Factory Clock – Netherfield Road, Leeds | |
| Industry | Electricity |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1878 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Albert Parkinson and Frank Parkinson |
| Products | Electric motors, Ceiling fans, Electric generators, Light bulbs, Power cables and Batteries |
Crompton Parkinson was a British electrical manufacturing company. It was formed in 1927 by the merger of Crompton & Co. with F & A. Parkinson Ltd. The brand is now part of Brook Crompton. [1]
Crompton & Co. was a lamp manufacturer founded by R.E.B. Crompton in 1878. The company was widely known for installing the first electric lighting in Windsor Castle, Holyrood Palace and other prominent buildings. [2]
F & A. Parkinson Ltd. was a successful electric motor manufacturing company founded by two brothers, Albert and Frank Parkinson, who was a former student of (and later a major benefactor of) Leeds University. The university's Parkinson Building, opened in 1951, is named in his honour. [3]
Crompton Parkinson was taken over by the Hawker Siddeley aerospace group in 1968 [4] which became part of BTR in 1992. [5] BTR merged with Siebe to form Invensys in 1999. After selling off several divisions, Invensys was acquired by Schneider Electric of France in 2014. Crompton Lighting Australia is now owned by Gerard Lighting, [6] whilst Brook Crompton is now owned by Wolong Holding Group Co Ltd of China. [7] Crompton Lamps was sold to Cooper Industries but is now independent. [8]
In 1968, Crompton Parkinson acquired Vidor Batteries, a manufacturer of radio and flashlight batteries. [9] Founded in 1934 by businessman Thomas Noah Cole, the company was located in a former Vickers-Armstrong munitions factory in Erith, Kent. He had also purchased Burndept Wireless, a well-established radio manufacturer. The combined company was called Vidor-Burndept. Cole had made his fortune from his previous company Lissen Ltd., a manufacturer of radio kits, accessories and batteries, which he sold to Ever Ready in 1928. [10]
In April 1941, the Erith factory was almost completely destroyed by a German incendiary raid, forcing the company to relocate production to a former jute mill in Dundee, Scotland. Other factories were also opened, at South Shields and Brechin. [10] A Vidor slogan from the 1950s was "They do say a Vidor battery lasts a month longer!". [11] In the early 1960s Cole sold Vidor-Burndept to Royston Industries, a sheet-metal manufacturer.
Following the collapse of Royston Industries in 1968, the Vidor brand was acquired by Crompton Parkinson. [12] The Vidor brand was sold to Ray-O-Vac in 1989 and is no longer in use. [13]
Crompton Parkinson made a wide range of electrical goods including electric motors, ceiling fans, electric generators, light bulbs, power cables and batteries. Some British Railways diesel locomotives (e.g. British Rail Classes 26, 33, 44 and 45) were outfitted with their electrical equipment. The company also produced an extensive range of electrical measuring instruments including voltmeters, ammeters and current transformers and, for a brief time at the beginning, made spark plugs.
During the Second World War, Crompton Parkinson produced large quantities of .303 rifle ammunition at its Guiseley and Doncaster factories. [14] also 9m/m pistol cartridges.
There was a factory located at Writtle Road in Chelmsford, which was originally part of Crompton & Co. The site was taken over by Marconi Radar Systems Ltd in the late 1960s. They remained the occupiers for over 20 years until it was sold for housing development. Only the 'head office' building fronting Writtle Road remains – the old Crompton name is still visible over the door.
During the 1930s, the company built a large factory at Guiseley near Leeds where most of its lamp and electric motor manufacturing was based. The lamp works closed in 2002, and the adjacent electric motor works closed in 2004. The entire site was demolished in 2006, [15] with the clock tower preserved and relocated to a new car park adjacent to the site. [16]
Guiseley is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds.
Thorn Lighting Ltd, a subsidiary of the Zumtobel Group, is a global supplier of both outdoor and indoor luminaires and integrated controls.
A milk float is a vehicle specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk. Today, milk floats are usually battery electric vehicles (BEV), but they were formerly horse-drawn floats. They were once common in many European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, and were operated by local dairies. However, in recent years, as the number of supermarkets, small independent grocers and petrol stations, and convenience stores stocking fresh milk has increased, many people have switched from regular home delivery to obtaining fresh milk from these other sources.
Lucas Industries plc was a Birmingham-based British manufacturer of motor industry and aerospace industry components. Once prominent, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was formerly a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In August 1996, Lucas merged with the American Varity Corporation to form LucasVarity.
Tilling-Stevens was a British manufacturer of buses and other commercial vehicles, based in Maidstone, Kent. Originally established in 1897, it became a specialist in petrol-electric vehicles. It continued as an independent manufacturer until 1950, when it was acquired by the Rootes Group.
CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited, also known as Crompton Greaves Limited, is an Indian multinational company engaged in design, manufacturing, and marketing of products related to power generation, transmission, and distribution & Rail Transportation. It is based in Mumbai and is a part of the Murugappa Group since 2020, who acquired it from the Avantha Group. The company was restructured in 2016 following the demerger of its consumer goods business.
Lindeteves-Jacoberg Limited, based in Singapore, is an investment holding company which provides management services to its subsidiaries. The subsidiaries are in the business of distribution of electric motors. The company was founded in 1947. It is listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore.
Crompton may refer to
The British Ever Ready Electrical Company (BEREC) was a British electrical firm formed in 1906 as the export branch of the American Eveready Battery Company. In 1914 it became independent of its American parent company.
The Westinghouse Brake & Signal Company Ltd was a British manufacturer of railroad signs. Founded by George Westinghouse, it was registered as "Westinghouse Brake Company" in 1881. The company reorganised in 1920, associating with Evans O'Donnell, and Saxby and Farmer which merged to form the "Westinghouse Brake & Saxby Signal Company". The 'Saxby' would be dropped from their title in 1935.
Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton, CB, FRS was a British electrical engineer, industrialist and inventor. He was a pioneer of electric lighting and public electricity supply systems. The company he formed, Crompton & Co., was one of the world's first large-scale manufacturers of electrical equipment. He was also an early campaigner for an international standard for electrical systems. He was involved with both the practical and academic sides of his discipline, being a founder member of the International Electrotechnical Commission and twice president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and a founder member of the Royal Automobile Club.
EKCO was a British electronics company producing radio and television sets from 1924 until 1960. Expanding into plastic production for its own use, Ekco Plastics produced both radio cases and later domestic plastic products; the plastics company became Lin Pac Mouldings Ltd.
Brush Transformers is a company based in Loughborough, Leicestershire. They are a manufacturer of power transformers with a history stretching back over 120 years.
Frank Parkinson was a British electrical engineer, most notable for early electric lighting installations, such as light bulbs and electric motors. He was a major benefactor to the University of Leeds with the landmark tower named in his honour.
GE Canada is the wholly-owned Canadian unit of General Electric, manufacturing various consumer and industrial electrical products all over Canada.
EnerSys is a stored energy systems and technology provider for industrial applications. The company manufactures and distributes reserve power and motive power batteries, battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories and outdoor equipment enclosure systems to customers worldwide.
Morrison-Electricar was a British manufacturer of milk floats and other battery electric road vehicles (BERV). Their first vehicle was built for a bakery in 1933, and the company ceased to exist when it was finally sold to M & M Electric Vehicles in 1983.
Victor Electrics Ltd was a British manufacturer of milk floats and other battery electric road vehicles. The company was formed in 1923 by Outram's Bakery in Southport, Merseyside, to make bread vans for their own use, but they soon diversified into other markets, including the Dairy industry. Their first vehicles had bonnets, like conventional vans, which stored the batteries, but by 1935 all of their vehicles were forward control models, with the cab at the front. They were acquired by Brook Motors in 1967, and became part of the Hawker Siddeley group in 1970. They made a small number of railway locomotives during this latter period.
Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited is an Indian electrical equipment company based in Mumbai, India. The company has lighting and electrical consumer durables including LED lighting, fans, pumps, and household appliances like water heaters, air coolers, and kitchen appliances.
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