Bradley and Foster
of Darlaston Iron Works, Darlaston.
The Darlaston Green site of Darlaston Iron and Steel Co was taken over by Thomas and Isaac Bradley, pig iron manufacturers. The company eventually became Bradley and Foster.
1906 T. and I. Bradley and Sons Ltd was incorporated to acquire the blast furnaces, ironworks, plant, etc. known as the Darlaston Blast Furnaces at Darlaston Green and take-over as going concern the business of pig iron manufacturers; William Henry Smith Bradley was one of the directors; other members of the Bradley family (Bernard Grove Bradley, Barbara Beatrice Bradley) were also shareholders and there were a number of other shareholders.[1]
1909 William Bradley died
By 1911 William James Foster was proprietor of an ironworks - possibly it was this one as he was later recorded as chairman and proprietor of Bradley and Foster
Eventually the firm became Bradley and Foster[2]
c.1923 Incorporated as a public company[3]
1933 Bradley and Foster Ltd. exhibited at Olympia a very wide range of refined pig irons with a variety of compositions suitable for producing cast irons with various properties. Many of the alloy irons were exhibited for the first time. The qualities ranged from low nickel-chrome irons for direct use up to various types of austenitic ingots.[4]
1935 Bradley's (Concrete) had accumulated a small profit but this had not yet been brought into the parent company's accounts[5]
By 1944 R. W. Hale was chairman, G. T. Lunt was managing director, Dr J. E. Hurst was technical director[6]
1945 The company was acquired by Staveley Coal and Iron Co[7]
1950 Opened a new abrasives plant - Bradleys (Darlaston)[8]
1966 National Coal Board took 50 percent stake in Bradley's (Concrete) Ltd with plants at Darlaston and Bilston[9]
1989 Made ferro-chrome castings for coal pulverising equipment for power stations[10]