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 164,971 pages of information and 246,452 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.

Magnus Volk

From Graces Guide
1888.

Magnus Volk (1851–1937) was a British electrical engineer who built Volk's Electric Railway and the Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway.

1851 October 19th. Born at Brighton the son of a German clockmaker and lived at 38 Dyke Road in Brighton.

1887 he constructed a prototype electric car, which led to an order from H.M. Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey. The car was built by Pack and Sons, local carriage builders. The motors were supplied by Moritz Immisch of London

But Volk was in severe financial difficulties. He agreed to install and manage the charging stations for an electric launch service Immisch was planning on the River Thames.

1887-1895 Built a few electric carriages with motors by Acme and Immisch

1888 He filed for bankruptcy in January

1891 discharged from bankruptcy in August

1891 October. Announcement. 'Mr. Magnus Volk has entered upon possession of the Electric Railway at Brighton.'[1]

1892 He was able to devote more time to the railway and another new venture - the Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Tramroad.

Magnus Volk had a son named Conrad who wrote a biography of his father.

1937 May 20th. Died in Brighton. Volk is buried at St Wulfran's churchyard in Ovingdean near Brighton


See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. Sussex Agricultural Express - Saturday 10 October 1891