Battery manufacturers, of Denton, Manchester.
1865 Established, as an engine and machine maker of Denton by Joseph Oldham (b.1832 in Hyde)[1] [2]
Orlando Oldham led a rapid expansion into hat manufacturing machinery and electric safety lamps for miners[3]
1911 Manufacturer of mechanical items for collieries and hat manufacturer.[4]
Orlando's son, John was apprenticed to the company; he developed a battery for the miners' lamps they made (which previously had been made with Chloride batteries), which was the prototype of a major line of products for the business.
1920 Private company.
1920 Patent to O. Oldham, G. Oldham and J. Oldham of Denton for improvements in terminals for batteries[5]
Post-WWI The business was led by Orlando's three sons - John, George and Edward. They took the business into (rechargeable) batteries for radios and then into car batteries
1937 Battery manufacturers. "Oldham" Batteries.[6]
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
Post-WWII expansion into overseas markets through exports and by establishing overseas subsidiaries
1947 Company made public.
1960 Advert for batteries for mining.[7]
1961 Manufacturers of electrical equipment, electrical storage batteries, miners' electrical safety lamps, also general engineers, manufacturing fur-felting machinery for the hat manufacturing industry. 1,000 employees.[8]
1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Batteries.[9]
1965 Following the death of John Oldham, his son Orlando became chairman
1971 Chloride Electrical Storage Co acquired Oldham and Son in an agreed merger to create a company of size sufficient to be competitive in the wider European market[10]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1891 census
- ↑ The Times, May 22, 1965
- ↑ The Times May 22, 1965
- ↑ 1911 census
- ↑ The Engineer 1921/01/14
- ↑ * 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ * Mining Year Book 1960. Published by Walter E. Skinner. Advert p559
- ↑ * 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ * 1963 Motor Show
- ↑ The Times, Dec 16, 1971