William Rose and Co
of Metropolitan Works, Oldfield Road, Salford
See also Mr. Rose of Manchester.
1833 A horse-drawn fire engine invented by William Rose was described in Mechanics Magazine[1]
1862 Exhibited a brigade fire engine and 3 patent portable fire engines, with fittings.
1884 Advertising as makers of fire engines, fire escapes, hoses, etc. 'Established over 50 years'.
By the 1890s, Rose had supplied over 100 fire brigades with horse-drawn manual fire engines, fire escapes, hose tenders and carts.
1897 Rose built their first steam fire engines.
1902 They built their final steam fire engine.
1974 The Metropolitan Works continued producing fire hoses until its eventual closure in 1974 [2]
Metropolitan Works is shown on the 1894 O.S. map[3] as located at the junction of Oldfield Road and Woden Street. A row of terraced houses separated the works from Woden Street, and these faced the works of John Cameron
A steam-driven fire pump at Bradford Industrial Museum is typical of the John Cameron type. Similar pumps were made by many companies, but in view of the proximity of Rose's and Cameron's works, it seems likely that this one was made by John Cameron.