Joseph J. Armfield and Co
Manufacturer of water turbines, of Vale of Avon Ironworks, Ringwood, Hants.
19th century: Ringwood works were established as a millwright's shop serving the flour-, paper-, and saw-mills situated on the local rivers
1854 The business was started by William Munden, presumably in Poole[1]
1871 Munden employed 30 men and 5 boys[2]
1872 Taken over by Joseph John Armfield[3] but it seems more likely this was when Armfield joined the business.
1876 New owner of the business (Joseph Armfield) continued the development of machinery for water-driven mills
By 1881 Joseph Armfield, a master engineer was employing 6 hands.[4]
1886 The firm designed and constructed their first water-turbine
1888 Armfield took ownership of the business[5] - this seems inconsistent with Armfield's 1881 census entry.
By 1900 the firm had built almost 100 turbines. Most were installed in replacement of water wheels.
By 1920s the manufacture of water-turbines, Pelton wheels and other kinds of hydraulic machinery was the principal business of the firm.
The company were pioneers in the transformation of flour mills from millstone to roller milling, and on the latter system they have installed several hundred plants. Besides hydraulic apparatus and flour-milling and grain-handling machinery, the company manufactured coffee machinery, coal pulverizers, and agricultural apparatus generally.
1974 Company restructured. The engineering Company continued, but was later absorbed into an international engineering group. A new Technical Education Equipment Division was formed, and subsequently bought by an international consortium specialising in engineering teaching equipment.
1981 Management buyout, forming Armfield Technical Education Equipment Company Ltd.
1989 Became Armfield Limited.
2019 Company website here.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Nedias newsletter #48