Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 162,254 pages of information and 244,496 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Scott and Hodgson

From Graces Guide
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1910.
1911.
1914. Marine type inverted vertical compound mill engine producing 300 hp from the Diamond Ropeworks of Hardman, Ingham and Dawson. Exhibit at Bolton Steam Museum.

Scott & Hodgson of Guide Bridge Iron Works, Audenshaw, near Manchester were engineers.

1840 Company formed by Martin and Smethurst. (Presumably it was Guide Bridge Iron Works that was founded by Martin & Smethurst.)

1854 Company established.

1884 Henry Hodgson and two brothers named Scott commenced business

1884 'The engine works at Guide Bridge, formerly carried on by Messrs. Martin and Smethurst, but which for a number of years have been partially closed, have recently been re-started by Messrs. Scott and Hodgson, and I understand that a fair amount of work is already in hand. Mr. Hodgson, I may add, was previously chief engineer to the Mutual Boiler Insurance Company.'[1]

1900 Incorporated as a limited company.

1900 Made a 270 HP engine at short notice for Joseph Webb and Sons following a breakdown of a rolling mill engine and gears. The engine was ordered at noon on 6th April, and was at work at 4.00 a.m. on 4th May, having been made, erected and set in operation in 25 days, 10 hrs. The work included making all the foundry patterns and most of the drawings, and constructing new foundations for the engine and gearing, together with alterations to the pipework and the building. [2]

1901 Produced an unusual 'pusher engine' to increase the power of a beam engine at the mill of Obadiah Ashworth and Co., Middleton. This had an oscillating cylinder, and the end of the piston rod acted on the beam engine's crankpin, the crankpin having been replaced with a longer one [3]

1901 A 22 HP diesel engine was demonstrated at the works of Scott & Hodgson. [4]. This was described as the first Diesel engine made in England[5][6]. Note: This was not the first in Britain, that honour having gone to Mirrlees.

c.1903 Vertical triple expansion 2000 HP engine for Gartsides Ltd, Wellington Mills [7]

1914 Engineers, ironfounders, millwrights, manufacturers of steam engines up to 3,000 HP and large cut spur gears in iron or steel, any weight. Employees 300 to 350. [8]

1934 Works premises advertised for sale, 67,500 sq ft floor area, adjacent to Guide Bridge station.[9]

1934 Steam turbine business acquired by Mirrlees Watson Co and transferred to Glasgow[10]. The equipment included a side planing and slotting machine by Hulse, side planer by Hetherington, three large Stirk planers, a gear cutting machine for wheels up to 24 ft dia. Power plant included a 200 HP compound engine by Scott & Hodgson, and 75kW and 30kW dynamos. There were three electric overhead cranes by Adamson, and three rope-drive cranes.[11]

Name plaque. Exhibit at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry

Other Examples of Engines

1890s? 300 - 400 HP horizontal engine driving rolling mill at John Summers and Sons nail works, Stalybridge. The engine rolled scrap boiler plate down to make cut nails, mainly for the Central Africa market. Photographed by George Watkins in 1966, and scrapped in the same year.

1892 Triple expansion engine for Wharf Street Mills, Ashton-under-Lyne.

1902 1600 HP vertical triple expansion engine at Queen Mill, Dukinfield (cotton spinning).

1904 800 HP vertical two cylinder engine at Bowker and Ball's Tame Valley Mill, Dukinfield (cotton spinning).

1908 1450 HP horizontal two cylinder rolling mill engine at Upper Forest and Worcester Steel and Tinplate Works, Morriston, Swansea. Photographed by George Watkins in 1958.

1917 12,000 HP horizontal three cylinder rolling mill engine at John Summers and Co, Shotton Steelworks. Moved to Park Gate steelworks in 1956.

  • The above information relating to engines built from the 1890s to 1917 was recorded by George Watkins[12]

1887? Vertical cross compound engine at Guide Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne

1896 500 HP cross-compound vertical engine for Union Mills, Audenshaw, moved to Taylor Brothers, Silsden, in 1917.

1900 300 HP tandem compound engine for Lomeshaye Bridge Mill Co, Nelson.

1907 1500 HP tandem compound engine at Dee Mill, Shaw. Initially preserved, then scrapped in 1994.

1907 1600 HP vertical cross compound engine at Fir Mill, Royton

1907 1500 HP vertical triple expansion engine for Glebe Mill, Hollinwood.[13]

1908 3000 HP vertical triple expansion at Sun Mill, Oldham.

1912 850 HP vertical cross compound engine at Bowker and Ball, Crescent Mill, Dukinfield

1917 Installed engine at Park Gate Iron and Steel Co for the cogging mill

1917 Installed engine at John Summers and Sons

1922 1400 HP cross compound engine at Hollins Mill, Marple

Except where otherwise stated, the above engines from 1887? onwards were recorded by A Roberts, J Pickles and others between 1930 and 1965[14]

See here for a drawing by Frank Wightman of the 800 HP engine for the Spur Doubling Co of Reddish. Cylinders 18" bore HP, 40" Bore LP, 4'0" stroke.[15]

Records

See here for a list of engineering drawings (Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry).

See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. The Engineer 1884/12/12
  2. 'The Engineer' 11th May 1900
  3. pp 40 & 41 of‘The Textile Mill Engine, Part 1’ by George Watkins: Landmark Publishing Ltd.
  4. Falkirk Herald, 3 April 1901
  5. Sheffield Evening Telegraph, 26 March 1901
  6. The Autocar 1901/03/30
  7. ‘Stationary Steam Engines of Great Britain, Volume 3.1: Lancashire’ by George Watkins: Landmark Publishing Ltd.
  8. 1914 Whitakers Red Book
  9. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 28 April 1934
  10. Edinburgh Evening News, 17 January 1934
  11. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 17 March 1934
  12. 'Stationary Steam Engines of Great Britain, Volume 4: Wales, Cheshire & Shropshire', by George Watkins, Landmark Publishing Ltd
  13. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Saturday 17 May 1919
  14. ‘Steam Engine Research Resources’ compiled and published by Stanley Challenger Graham on LULU.com. 2009
  15. [1] Manchester Archives: "Spur Doubling Co.Ltd. Reddish Stockport. Cross Compound Steam Engine Of 800 I.H.P" Frank Wightman (1950)