Martin and Co (of Calcutta)
of Laurence Pountney, London, and of Clive St, Calcutta
c.1875 Thomas Acquin Martin set up business in India.
1889 the firm took over the management of the Bengal Iron and Steel Co, which inaugurated iron production at Burrakur.
The firm also pioneered the construction of light railways along district roads in India, to serve as feeders for the main lines.
Many jute mills in Bengal were constructed by the firm.
Three large collieries in Bengal, and the Hooghly Docking and Engineering Company, were also under its control.
The Tansa duct works, providing Bombay with a constant water supply from a lake 40 miles distant, was engineered by the firm, as was the supply of water to the suburbs of Calcutta, and of a large number of Indian provincial towns, including Allahabad, Benares, Cawnpore, Lucknow, Agra, and Srinagar (Kashmir).
With Edward Thornton as principal architect, the firm erected chiefs' palaces and important public buildings in various parts of India, particularly in Calcutta, where it acted as contractor for the All-India Victoria Memorial Hall.
1889 The firm admitted into partnership R. N. Mukherji, an able Bengali.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Biography of Sir Thomas Acquin Martin, ODNB