Harrison, Cox-Walker and Co
of Darlington
1880 Edward Cox-Walker settled in Darlington and established a telephone and general electrical engineering business in partnership with Mr Harrison, the firm being known as Harrison, Cox-Walker and Co. It specialized in telephones, and later electric tell-tales and signalling apparatus for mines.
1880 Messrs Harrison and Co of Darlington offered to supply Hunnings' Micro-telephones and with them connect the Fire Brigade Station, the Police Station and the Chief Constable's house; the Council accepted the proposal[1]
1880 Mr E. Cox-Walker demonstrated Mr Hunnings' micro-telephone (exhibited by Harrison, Cox-Walker and Co, of Darlington and York) at a meeting of the Skinningrove Miners' Institute[2][3]
1881 Erected Vyle's (Samuel Vyle?) lightning conductor at the British Association meeting[4]
1882 The United Telephone Co sued Harrison Cox-Walker Ltd for infringement of the Bell Edison patents it held; the Cox-Walker receiver was one that had been developed by the Rev. Henry Hunnings; it was decided that the Cox-Walker receiver was a copy of the Edison design. After much legal wrangling the patent was sold to UTC for £1,000.
1885 The firm received an award for an "Electrical exhibit" at the 1885 International Inventions Exhibition[5]
The firm also manufactured Campbell Swinton instruments for the Equitable Telephone Association, Ltd., and later took up electric lighting and power work.
1897 Cox-Walkers of Darlington issued a catalogue
1906 The business, which became one of the best known in the North of England, was formed into a limited company and was carried on as Cox-Walkers, Ltd.