Browett, Lindley and Co
Browett, Lindley and Co initially of Sandon Works, Salford, and then Sandon Works, Clifford Street, Patricroft, Manchester.
Note: In 1931 the business became Browett Lindley.
1880 Herbert Lindley and Thomas Browett were continuing the business established by Deakin, Parker and Co at Sandon Works, Salford.
1884 Name changed to Browett, Lindley and Co
1886 'The second pair of vertical compound engines for the electric light installation (1200 lights) at Winchester House, Old Broad street, made to the order of Messrs. Thompson and Ritchie, of St. Swithin’s, and they also have in hand, for the same firm, two other pairs for the Northumberland Avenue Hotel (1000 lights). Their works are at present running night and day to complete orders in hand.'[1]
1887 Exhibited 'Sandon' gas engine at Manchester Exhibition[2]
1887 Description and engraving of inverted vertical tandem compound engine, The main bearings were spilt vertically, rather than horizontally, to facilitate crankshaft removal[3]
1888 Patent sealed: Herbert Lindley and Thomas Browett: gas motor engines: August 19th[4]
1888 Produced vertical electric light engine. [5]
1888 Advertising the 'Acme' governor
1890 The new Sandon Works was started in Patricroft, and enlarged in 1900/1901 by the addition of the erecting shop (see illustrations) and a new engine and boiler house. The erecting shop was served by two overhead electric cranes made by Royce Ltd. New equipment included a large planing machine by Sellers (USA), powered by a Lundell 30 HP motor, and a smaller planer by the Butler Machine Tool Co of Halifax, driven by a Hodgson-Wright 15 HP motor. [6]
1891 Vertical engine intended for ships' electric lighting, and to run at 225 rpm. 'As will be seen, the engine is fitted with a shaft governor, the manufacture of which was commenced by the firm fifteen years ago, during which it has been constantly improved and its small faults eliminated. As now made it is said to govern within 2 per cent., even if the whole load is thrown off the engine, and it is quite free from the vices of “hunting,” or of allowing the engine to race, since great care has been taken to reduce the friction of its working parts. The oil arrangements have received special attention. Every part is lubricated from a single oil cup, .....'[7]
1892 Crystal Palace Electrical Exhibition. High-speed steam engines for dynamo driving. Acme Govenors.[8]
1897 Letter from Browett, Lindley to Engineering, stating that they were the 'sole makers of the Westinghouse engine in this country in its double-acting form'[9]
1899 The company was registered on 28 July, to take over the business of engineers of a private company of practically the same name. [10]
1900 Herbert Lindley left the partnership
1901 Details of factory extension [11]
1902 Large triple expansion engines for Salford Corporation (see photo)
c.1904 The Siamese Tramway Company Ltd had two 200 kW Dick, Kerr generators powered by Browett, Lindley engines. The Siam Electricity Company Ltd had one 200 kW unit [12]
c.1905 Supplied three 360 hp steam engines for the North Melbourne Electric Tramway & Lighting Company [13]
1907 Three engines driving 225 kW generators at Auckland (NZ) City Council’s refuse destructor station. The station burnt the city’s refuse and used the heat to produce steam for Auckland’s first public electricity supply [14] (see photos)
1907 November. Supplied to the Walkden Spinning Co an inverted triple Corliss engine of 1,600 hp at 75 rpm. 22 ft dia flywheel for 45 ropes also drove a 250kw generator
Several Browett, Lindley engines were installed at Mercer Street Power Station, Wellington, New Zealand[15]
1910 Produced three 1500 HP vertical triple expansion engines for the Buenos Aires & Pacific Railway Co's generating station at Bahia Blanca[16] (See photo)
Browett, Lindley were predominantly makers of high speed engines, but they did make three large cotton mill engines, including a vertical triple expansion 1800 HP engine for Alder Mill, Leigh[17]. Another was a 1600 HP vertical triple expansion engine at Fernhurst Mill, Chadderton.[18]
1,000hp Browett, Lindley compound 3-cylinder reciprocating engines running at 300rpm, for Cameroon Sugar Company.
1924 High speed engine at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition[19]
1924 Mr M. M. Gillespie of Gillespie and Beales who has for many years represented the interests of the company, was appointed director.[20]
1926 Aerial photo of Eccles Works here[21]
1929 Receivers appointed; as a result it was found that the Company Secretary had been taking money from the company for 20 years[22]
1931 Advert for sale of works plant and equipment. Included two Craven Bros Horizontal Boring, Facing, and Milling Machines, 6ft. x 6ft. and 3ft. x 4ft.; Two Muir Double Head Horizontal Boring and Facing Machines to 12in. dia.; Alexander 4-spindle Horizontal Cylinder Boring Machine; Deutsche Niles 6ft. 6in. Vertical Boring Mill; Smith and Coventry 60in. Vertical Boring Mill; two Bullard ditto, 50in. and 42in.; two Bickford Radial Drills, 6ft. and 4ft.; Davis and Egan 5ft. Radial Drill; three Asquith 3ft. 9in. ditto: Sellars Independent Motor Driven Drill; Nine various Drilling Machines; Sellars Planer 23ft. 6in. x 11ft. Oin. x 10ft. 6in.; Redman Planer 12ft. Oin. x 4ft. 6in. x 3ft. 6in.: Butler Planer 9ft. 6in. x 3ft. 6in. x 31t. 3in., with Lancashire drive; Redman Planer, 6ft. Oin. x 4ft. 6in. x 3ft. Oin.; two 24in. Ludwig Loewe Shapers; Four Slotting Machines, from 24in. to 8in. stroke; nine Herbert Combination Turret Lathes, viz.—4 No. 9. 3 No. 16. and 2 No. 3; Herbert No 1 Hex. Bar Lathe; two Gisholt Turret Lathes: three Hartness Flat Turret lathes; two Wards Turret lathes; thirty various Surfacing, Boring, and Turning Tallies bv Langs, Hendey, Dickinson, and others, two Ludwig Loewe Horizontal Universal Millers: two Herbert No. 5 Horizontal Millers; two No. 5 ditto: one No. O 1/2 Le Blond ditto; five Herbert Vertical Millers, viz.-One No. 8, two No. 4 - N°- 3, and one No. 1; Grinding Machines, comprising Norton 10in. x 72in. plain grinder, Churchill 6in. x 34in. ditto; Brown and Sharpe No. 11 ditto; Brown and Sharpe No. 2 Universal Grinder; Herbert No. 4 Universal grinder; one No. 70 and two No. 60 Internal Grinders: Linotype Piston Ring Grinder with 36in. magnetic chuck; two Roberts Disc Grinders and No. 2 Oscillating Grinder; two Keyseaters. Fellow's 36in. Gear Shaper; 15 cwt. Steam Hammer, Screwing, and other machines.
NUMEROUS SMALL TOOLS, viz.—Drills, Milling Cutters, Reamers, Taps, Gauges, Micrometers, Verniers, Stocks and Dies, Shore Scleroecope, Marking-out Tables, etc.
WOODWORKING MACHINES, viz.-Planer, Saw Bench. Band-Saw, Lathe, Trimmers, etc.
LIFTING PLANT, comprising Two 20-ton Electric Overhead Travellers about 45ft. span; One 10-ton and One 3-ton ditto various other Cranes, Lifting Blocks
20-ton WEIGHBRIDGE, 18ft. platform, by W. Hodgson and Sons Ltd., 40-ton Denison Crane Weigher and Platform Weighers.
Large variety of Engineers' New Stores, Shafting, Pulleys, Belting, Piping, Electric Cable; 200-tons iron and Steel Scrap; 10-tons Gunmetal. Brass and Cooper Scrap; Office Furniture. Safes, etc.
ELECTRIC MOTORS from 30 to 3 h.p., 110 volts,
STEAM AND ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, viz.—
Two Stirling Water-tube Boilers, 12,500lb. and 10,000lb. evaporation, 250lb. pressure; 225 K.W. Steam Generating Set, Browett, Lindley and Lane Dynamo, new 1918: 170 K.W. Steam Generating Set; 130 K.W. and 100 K.W Generators; Crude Oil Generating Set; Two 150 h.p. Producer Gas Plants; Two Weir Boiler Pumps; 20 h.p. Motor-driver Air Compressor; 40in. Heenan Froude Dynamometer....'[23]
1931 Company bought by George Cohen, Sons and Co - see Browett Lindley
1938 Death of Thomas Browett[24]
Name Plate. Exhibit at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Engineering 1886/08/27
- ↑ Leeds Mercury, 20 May 1887
- ↑ Engineering 1887/10/21
- ↑ Birmingham Daily Post, 5 October 1888
- ↑ The Engineer of 27th April 1888 p348
- ↑ 'The Engineer' 14th June 1901
- ↑ Engineering 1891/12/04
- ↑ 1892 The Practical Engineer
- ↑ Engineering 1897/02/05
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ Fielden’s Magazine Vol 4
- ↑ [1]Website: BANGKOK TRAMWAYS (1894-1968)
- ↑ [2] Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot website
- ↑ [3]Progress, Volume IV, Issue 8, 1 June 1909, Page 271
- ↑ [4]Evening Post (Wellington), Volume LXXX, Issue 3, 4 July 1910
- ↑ 'Engineering' 25th March 1910
- ↑ ‘The Textile Mill Engine’ by George Watkins, Landmark Publishing Ltd, 1999
- ↑ ‘Steam Engine Research Resources’ written and published by Stanley Challenger Graham on LULU.com, 2009: ISBN 978-1-4092-9009-4
- ↑ Engineering 1924/08/29
- ↑ The Engineer 1924/10/31
- ↑ [5] Manchester City Council local images collection: image m67948
- ↑ The Times, Jul 31, 1929
- ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Saturday 31 October 1931
- ↑ The Times, Mar 12, 1938