J. W. Brooke and Co
J. W. Brooke of Adrian Ironworks, Lowestoft
John Walter Brooke was the son of an ironfounder
1870 He laid out the works of Robert Warner and Co
Brooke went to the USA where he spent time in Adrian, Michigan
1874 John Walter Brooke opened his own foundry on his return, and named it after Adrian, Michigan.
1887 Was making compound and triple expansion engines for fishing, coasting and other craft
1894 June. Royal Agricultural Society's Show. Clutch barrel hoist.[1]
1898 The company became limited
1899 Built their first I.C. engine - a small two-stroke.
1902 April. Details of their three-cylinder car.[2]
1904 March. Details of their 15-20 hp petrol car.[3][4]
1904 London office by Bernard B. Redwood.[5]
1904 September. Details of the automatic carburetter.[6]
1905 Produced 15-20 h.p. four-cylinder, 25 h.p. six-cylinder and 35 h.p. four-cylinder models. [7]
1905 March. Details of their 35-hp car.[8][9][10][11][12]
1906 November. Details of their six-cylinder car.[13][14]
1908 March. Details of their 40-hp car.[15][16]
1909 Exhibited a 35 ft estuary cruiser and a 16 ft hydroplane 16ft. fitted with a 12 h.p. Brooke hydroplane engine. Brooke also made a 45 hp marine power plant.[17]. See Brooke Marine: Engines
1910 A separate locomotive equipped with a petrol engine designed and built for service on one of the Argentine Railways.[18]
1910 Gold medal at the Buenos Aire Exhibition for motors and inspection carriages[19]
c1914 Introduced a four-stroke engine for marine use
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Cars produced see the 1917 Red Book
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Marine Motors see the 1917 Red Book
WWI Brooke established the Lowestoft Munitions Factory[20].
1924 'During the past few years Messrs. J. W. Brooke and Co., Ltd., of Adrian Works, Lowestoft, have supplied many small petrol engines for the driving of dynamos for wireless telegraphy. In some cases peculiar circumstances had to be allowed for in the design, as an example illustrations are provided on this page of an 8-10 h.p. petrol motor of which type a number were recently supplied to a foreign government. ...'[21]
1925 Exhibited launches, and a range of motors designed for racing work, as well as the Brooke Empire motor and Brooklite self-contained lighting sets.[22]
1930 32 HP 6-cylinder marine engine exhibited at Olympia[23]
1934 J. W. Brooke and Co was renamed as Brooke Marine Construction Co
1940 Became part of the Dowsett Group and was renamed Brooke Marine
1940s Carried out contract work for Standard Motor Co and Scammell
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Engineer 1894/06/29 p562 & p566
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1902/04/19
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1904/03/26
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1904/04/02
- ↑ See 1904 advertisement
- ↑ The Autocar 1904/09/24
- ↑ Automobile Vol. III. Edited by Paul N. Hasluck and published by Cassell and Co in 1906.
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1905/03/18
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1905/03/25
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1905/04/01
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1905/04/08
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1905/04/15
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1906/11/17
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1906/11/24
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1908/03/21
- ↑ Automotor Journal 1908/03/28
- ↑ The Engineer 1909/04/02
- ↑ The Engineer 1910/02/25
- ↑ The Times Apr. 18, 1910
- ↑ [1] Maritime Lowestoft
- ↑ Engineering 1924/01/18
- ↑ The Engineer 1925/12/18
- ↑ Engineering 1930/11/07
- Steam Engine Builders of Norfolk by Ronald H. Clark. Published 1948 by The Augustine Steward Press