Sharp Brothers and Co
of Manchester, steam locomotive makers and makers of textile machinery and machine tools.
1843 The partnership of Sharp, Roberts and Co was dissolved. John Sharp and Thomas Beatt Sharp carried on their part of the business at the Atlas Works in Oxford street and Great Bridgewater street as Sharp Brothers. Richard Roberts carried on business at the Faulkner street Works. [1]
Charles Beyer was appointed chief engineer in Roberts's place.
1850 July. John Sharp and John Robinson resign from the partnership leaving Thomas Beatt Sharp in sole ownership [2]
c1850 Description of the works. See Sharp Brothers and Co: 1850 Description
During 1851 and 1852 twenty engines were built for the London and North Western Railway to the design of Edward McConnell, the so-called "Bloomers," subcontracted from Wolverton.
1851 Award at the 1851 Great Exhibition for engineers' machine tools, and throstle. See details at 1851 Great Exhibition: Reports of the Juries: Class VI.
In 1852, the senior partner, John Sharp, retired and was replaced by Charles Patrick Stewart, the name of the company changing to Sharp, Stewart and Co.
There is a description of the works of Sharp Brothers and Co in the '1853 Directory of Manchester and Salford pages xxxiii.'
Location
Adshead's 1851 Maps of Manchester shows four separate groups of buildings in close proximity: the largest, marked Atlas Works, was sandwiched between Great Bridgewater Street (south side) and the Rochdale Canal, the east end being on Oxford Street; on the opposite side of Great Bridgewater Street was their next largest building, identified as 'Sharp Brothers & Co's Forge & Iron Warehouse'; immediately to the east of this building, but separated by a branch of the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal, was 'Sharp Brothers & Co's Machine Works', its eastern end being on Oxford Street, but displaced from the street corner by the presence of the 'Concert Inn'; another small 'Machine Works' was at the junction of Great Bridgewater Street and Chepstow Street, its south wall facing the Peveril of the Peak, while its yard to the north was on the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal. So, the premises were well-served by canals and roads, but unfortunately for a locomotive builder, there was no railway connection.