George Cradock and Co
George Cradock and Co Wire Rope Works and Wire Drawing Mills of Wakefield.
George Cradock senior began to manufacture hemp ropes in Darlington.
The business was carried on by him and George Cradock junior for a considerable time
c.1853 George Cradock junior, after some time in Stockton, took his hemp rope manufacture business to Wakefield.
1853 Company established.
1854 The firm began to manufacture wire ropes as an additional product
1881 Gave up the manufacture of hemp ropes, excepting those for use in the centre of its own wire ropes, to concentrate on wire rope.
1881 Advert Lang's Patent Wire Rope.
1885 Opened wire-drawing mills
1887 Description of the works [1] [2]
1889 30-ton wire-rope closing machine. [3]
1894 Antwerp Exhibition. Wire ropes. [4]
1891 'MESSRS. CRADOCK and Co, Wakefield, have been awarded the contract fo r the supply of wire ropes to the Tramway Funiculaire de Belleville, Paris.'[5]
1894 Antwerp Exhibition. Awarded Gold Medal for metallurgy. [6]
1897 'A steel rope supplied by Messrs. George Cradock and Co., Wakefield, was recently taken out of the Collins-street line of the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company, Melbourne. This rope was put to work on December 8, 1895, and taken out December 10, 1896, equalling 52 weeks and four days, the speed being 10 miles per hour. The average of the last three previous ropes used upon this line — all by other makers — was 16 weeks and one-third of a day. All the ropes worked on the same line and under the same conditions. The length of the rope is between 17,000 ft. and 18,000 ft., and the size 3 5/8 in. in circumference.'[7]
1900 The firm started making its own steel.
1900 June. Royal Agricultural Show at York. Showed steam plough wire ropes. [8]
1914 Wire rope manufacturers and engineers. Specialities: steel wire and pig iron ropes for all purposes, special Nuflex and lock coil ropes for winding, sinking and balance ropes, Lang's lay ropes, aerial ropeways, suspension bridges, Blondins or cableways. Employees 400. [9]
1917 Advert for steel wire ropes. [10]
1919 Advert for steel wire ropes. [11]
1920 Jan. Issued calendar. [12]
1920 May. Issued catalogue on locked-coil rope. [13]
1924 One of eight companies merged into British Ropes Ltd on its formation[14].
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Engineering 1887/04/15
- ↑ Engineering 1887/04/22
- ↑ The Engineer of 12th April 1889 p316
- ↑ The Engineer of 1st June 1894 p469
- ↑ The Engineer, 18 Sept 1891
- ↑ The Engineer of 2nd November 1894 p387
- ↑ Engineering 1897/01/29
- ↑ The Engineer of 22nd June 1900 p650
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1917. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p180
- ↑ Mechanical World Year Book 1919. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p216
- ↑ The Engineer 1920/01/16 p63
- ↑ The Engineer of 28th May 1920 p564
- ↑ National Archives
- The Engineer 1901/07/12