William Asquith

1877. Radial drilling machine.

1878. Planning machine.

1879.

1880.

1884. Treble Geared Gap Lathe.

1885. Radial drilling and boring machine.

June 1888. 18.5 inch treble-geared brake lathe.

June 1888.

1889.

1891. Lathe with Adjustable Gap.

1896.

1897. Plate Edge Planing Machine.

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June 1898.

1899.

February 1901.

1901.

1901.

1901.

1901.

1902.

January 1902.

1902.

September 1902.

1903. Plate and girder gang radial drill.

1903. Powerful radial drilling machine.

1905.

1905. Duplex radial drill.

1905. 7 ft radial drill.

1906. Three-spindle straight-thrust drilling machine.

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1906.

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1907.

October 1912.

1913.

1913.

1913.

1914. Armour plate drilling machine.

1914.

1915.

1918. Lathe for rough turning shells

1921.

November 1923.

1923.

1923.

1923.

1924.

November 1926. Rigid Vertical Drilling Machine.

February 1929.

1931. 6-inch horizontal boring, drilling and milling machine.

1932. 6-inch Horizontal Boring, Drilling and Milling Machine.

1933. 8-inch Boring Drilling and Milling Machine.

1934.

1937.

1946.

May 1950.

1954.

1956. Milling and boring machine.

1956.

1956.

May 1957.

1957.

William Asquith, machine tool makers, of Highroad Well Works, Halifax.

c.1865 Founded by William Asquith (1840-1901), a native of Halifax, who had spent time in the gold fields of Canada and California. Right from the start the company operated from the Highroad Well area of Halifax. The company became specialist manufacturers of radial drilling machines and one claim to fame was that they supplied 40 drilling machines used during the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1924.

This site expanded to service several branches of the Asquith business which included a foundry.

The company has had numerous changes of ownership and is now part of Asquith Butler. Although no longer operating from the Highroad Well site, there is still plenty of evidence of over 100 years of engineering by Asquith on this site.

1901 The Asquith was a short-lived English automobile manufactured from 1901 to 1902. The car originally had a front-mounted De Dion engine and belt-drive; this last was later replaced by a two-speed gearbox because the belts kept slipping disastrously. Probably only one car was built before the firm decided to concentrate on machinery. Used the name West End Motor Co.

1914 Directory: Listed as Drilling Machinery Makers and of Victoria Buildings, High Street, Stockton.

1920 September. Exhibited at the Machine Tool and Engineering Exhibition at Olympia with several new types of radial drilling machines.

c.1921 Public company incorporated

1927 See Aberconway for information on the company and its history.

1934 Illustrated description of railway wheel and axle turning lathe

1937 Machine tool manufacturers.

1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers

1953 Acquired Drummond Brothers of Guildford

1954 William Asquith changed the company name to Asquith Machine Tool Corporation; the operating company would take on the previous name

See Also

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• The Engineer 1952 Jul-Dec: Index
• The Engineer 1953 Jul-Dec: Index
• The Engineer 1956 Jan-Jun: Index
• The Engineer 1957 Jan-Jun: Index
• The Engineer 1957 Jul-Dec: Index
• The Engineer 1958 Jul-Dec: Index
• The Engineer 1964 Jan-Jun: Index
• The Engineer 1965 Jul-Dec: Index
• The Engineer 1968 Jan-Jun: Index
• The Engineer 1968 Jul-Dec: Index

Sources of Information

• [1] Wikipedia
• [2] Halifax today