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Engineering company in North Yorkshire, England
Head Wrightson
Steam locomotive at Stockton-on-Tees
Industry
Heavy engineering Founded 1840 Founder Thomas Head and Joseph Wright Defunct June 1987 Fate Closed Headquarters , Products
Cast iron and
Wrought iron
Head Wrightson was a big heavy industrial firm based at
Thornaby-on-Tees ,
North Yorkshire , England. It specialised in the manufacture of large industrial products such as
fractional distillation columns, which sometimes needed special transport to get them to site.
Its early products, which were made of
cast iron or
wrought iron , were used for
boilers ,
railway chairs ,
naval
ships , and many
bridges across the world. In its first 17 years the firm had various names.
History
1724 to 1839: Land called Thornaby
Carrs was used intermittently for
horse racing .
(afterwards): There was a
shipyard on Thornaby Carrs.
about 1840: Mr. Skinner settled in South
Stockton .
1840: The Teesdale Iron Works (also named Teesdale Ironworks ) was founded.
1851:
Teesside 's first
blast furnace was built, after
iron ore was discovered in the
Cleveland Hills .
[1]
1859: Mr. Skinner bought the Teesdale Iron Works. Thomas Head and Joseph Wright took over the Teesdale Iron Works.
later: Joseph Ashby and Thomas Wrightson joined the firm and Joseph Wright retired.
1860: Mr. Skinner bought the Cotton Mill.
(later): The firm became Messrs. Head and Wright , and later Messrs. Head and Ashby .
1865: The firm became Messrs. Head Wrightson & Co Ltd . It made
cast iron and
wrought iron for
boilers ,
railway chairs ,
naval
ships , and many
bridges across the world, the largest being in India. The firm employed 450 people.
1866: The firm became Head Wrightsons .
1877: The firm completed the Chenab Bridge in British India. The bridge is between
Rabwah &
Chiniot .
1889: The firm completed
Fulham Railway Bridge .
[2]
1890: The works was three times as big as in 1860, and covered Thornaby Carrs.
1892: The firm employed 1200 people.
1893: The firm completed
Newburn Bridge .
1895: The firm completed
Barnes Railway Bridge .
[3]
1939-45: Manufactured the
Bellman hangar , a 1936 design for a standard transportable aeroplane shed for the
Air Ministry .
1965: Building the
ice rink structure for the
Billingham Forum .
1968: The firm employed nearly 6000 people and mostly made boilers and other heavy
engineering . Its factory covered 68
acres .
1977:
Davy Corporation acquired Head Wrightson.
[4]
1979: Davy Corporation was renamed "Davy McKee".
June 1987: Head Wrightsons closed.
[5]
References
Bibliography
Lowe, James W. (1989) [1975]. "Head Wrightson Co.". British Steam Locomotive Builders . London: Guild Publishing. pp. 319–320.
ISBN
0900404213 .
External links