George Reynolds Turner
George Reynolds Turner (1826-1893) of G. R. Turner
1893 Obituary [1]
GEORGE REYNOLDS TURNER was born at sea on 17th March 1826.
He served his apprenticeship from 1842 to 1847 at the Sheaf Works, Sheffield, and was afterwards employed by Messrs. Sandford and Owen, Phoenix Works, Rotherham, in making wrought-iron wheels for locomotives, carriages, and wagons.
In 1862 he commenced business at the Vulcan Iron Works, Langley Mill, near Nottingham, as a partner in the firm of Messrs. Russell, Turner, and Ponder, makers of locomotive, carriage, and wagon wheels, railway wagons, constructive ironwork, and castings.
Subsequently the firm was converted into the Langley Mill Engineering, Wheel, and Wagon Co., of which he became managing director.
In 1873 he withdrew and built for himself new works, known as the Vulcan Iron Works, Langley Mill, where he developed the manufacture of railway wagons and tramcars, and began to introduce light portable railways and light and heavy rolling stock, coal-screening machinery, coal- sorting belts, underground hassling machinery, and other engineering work.
Recently he travelled in Spain and South Africa, for the purpose of ascertaining the particular nature of foreign requirements; and he furnished complete equipments of portable railways in many parts of the world.
His death took place at Langley Mill on 4th April 1893, at the age of sixty-seven.
He was a justice of the peace for the county of Derby, and became a Member of this Institution in 1886.