Gresham and Craven
Gresham and Craven of Craven Iron Works, Salford and Walkden, Manchester
1869/70 Thomas Craven joined John Spier Heron and James Gresham at Gresham and Heron
At some point the firm became Heron, Gresham and Craven, possibly involving James Craven[1].
1875 J. S. Heron left Heron, Gresham and Craven due to ill health; company became Gresham and Craven, sewing machine makers and makers of Giffard's injector; Thomas Craven was one of the partners.
c.1884 Sewing machine production ceased; the firm concentrated on other engineering projects.
By 1887 the company was making and fitting continuous brakes on railways in Great Britain and abroad[2]
1889 Company formed to convert the engineering business of James Gresham and Thomas Craven.[3]
1892 Trains for the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway started to be fitted with Johnson & Clayton's patent carriage heaters, made by Gresham & Craven. Hot water from the locomotive boiler was passed through pipes under the seats. The water was returned to the tender. The passengers were able to regulate the heat by means of covers for the pipes.[4]
1894 Self-adjusting sand-pipe nozzle for locomotives.[5]
1890s Spring wire mattresses patented by John Spier Heron continued to be produced.
1911 Manufacturer of Vacuum Automatic Brakes for the railways[6]. Also see Vacuum Brake Co.
1935 See Gresham and Craven:1935 Review
1936 Greshams and Vacuum Brake Co Ltd was removed from the register of companies.[7]
1937 Engineers. [8]
1953 Acquired by the Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co.[9]
1961 British Transport Commission asked the company to stop production of vacuum cylinders which were used on mineral wagons as it had sufficient stock and the wagon building programme was being wound down[10]
1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Volume production of precision parts and assemblies. [11]
Gresham & Craven's Ordsall Iron Works and Craven Iron Works were located on the banks of the River Irwell, south of Regent Bridge, in close proximity to other noted Salford factories, namely Irwell Rubber Works, Hamilton Woods and Co, Sunnyside Mills, Hulse and Co., while on the opposite bank of the Irwell, in Hulme, were Dacca Mills and St George’s Foundry. This 1961 photograph shows part of the works. The taller buildings to the left are shown on the 1916 O.S. map as the works of the Irwell and Eastern Rubber Co. The photo was taken from east bank of the River Irwell, at the point where the River Medlock and the Hulme Junction Locks joined the River Irwell. The 1848 O.S. map[12] shows the Sunny Side Mill (silk and cotton) as the sole occupant of the site. Part of the Sunnyside Mills still appear on the 1894/6 O.S. map, hemmed in by the Ordsall Iron Works, Craven Iron Works, and terraced houses.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Obituary of Tom Craven
- ↑ Harry Gresham's proposal for membership of I Mech E
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd Feb 1889 p175
- ↑ Irish News and Belfast Morning News, 12 December 1892
- ↑ The Engineer of 4th May 1894 p378
- ↑ Bradshaw’s Railway Manual 1911
- ↑ London Gazette 16 June 1936
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Dec 22, 1953
- ↑ The Times, Oct 10, 1961
- ↑ 1963 Motor Show
- ↑ Alan Godfrey Maps: Old Ordnance Survey Maps: Manchester Sheet 32: Castlefield 1848
- Heron, Gresham and Craven by David Best [1]