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 162,257 pages of information and 244,498 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.

Shelvoke and Drewry

From Graces Guide
September 1925. An SD Freighter with a Chalmers body, made for Bournemouth.
August 1928.
1950. Tipping Refuse Collector.
1952. Heavy Duty Fork Lift Truck.

Shelvoke and Drewry of Icknield Way, Letchworth

General

1922 Company formed by Harry Shelvoke and James Sidney Drewry both formerly of the Lacre Motor Car Co

1923 Produced the first S and D Freighter designed with a low frame enabling it to be able to be driven slowly and had small wheels. This was to be used as a dust cart or refuse collection vehicle.

1932 Produced the Latil tractor unit under licence until 1939

1937 Became a public company

1946 The W type freighter produced and popular with local authorities for refuse collection and remained in production for many years. The vehicles are powered by a range of engines from Ford, Leyland and Perkins

1961 Employs 480 persons. Manufacturers of municipal refuse-collecting vehicles, gully emptiers, cesspool cleansing vehicles and street watering and washing vehicles. Also specialised vehicles for the GPO. [1]

1961 Manufacturers of municipal refuse-collecting vehicles, gully emptiers, cesspool cleansing vehicles and street watering and washing vehicles, also cable drum carries for G.P.O. and heavy duty fork lift trucks. 480 employees. [2]

1966 Acquired by W. P. Butterfield

1971 Became part of Butterfield-Harvey Group

1974 Rubery Owen Conveyancer acquired the fork lift truck division of Shelvoke and Drewry[3]

1975 Launched the SPV Special Purpose Vehicle division

1984 Company merged with US company Dempster

1987 Shelvoke Dempster, maker of road sweeping and waste collection vehicles, was part of Krug International[4]

1992 Company ceased production

Buses

Late 1930s they produced the E types with rear-mounted transverse engines

1982 The SPV bus range was introduced including a bus used for airport transporting for Heathrow and Gatwick.

Models

  • Freighter
  • W Type
  • TW (1960- )
  • TY (1963- )

See Also

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Sources of Information

  • Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris
  • British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing