Kendall and Gent were machine tool makers, originally of Victoria Works, Springfield, Salford.
of Victoria Works, Belle Vue (Gorton), Manchester (1890s).
William Kendall and George Gent [1]
1847 Company established.
c.1850 Kendall & Gent machine for machining the ends of tubes up to 2" dia on display at the Musee des Arts et Metiers. See photo.
1855 Patent. 'William Kendall and George Gent, of Salford, machinists, for improvements in machinery or apparatus for cutting metals, either solid or tubular.'[2]
1873 (1 volume; in German) Illustrated sales catalogue.
1876 Details of their screwing machine with releasing motion. [3]
1878 Exhibited a number of articles made by the Retort Gas Stove Company, of Providence, USA, fitted with Retort Bunsen burners.
In the 1890s they moved to a new works, also called Victoria Works, in Belle Vue (Gorton), Manchester.
1886 Description and engraving of a boiler drilling machine for shells up to 5 ft diameter, for the Clyde Locomotive Works [4]
1886 'BOILER FLUE TURNING AND DRILLING MACHINE.
The boiler flue turning and drilling machine we illustrate above, has been specially designed for turning and drilling the flanged flues of boilers, and has been constructed for one of the leading Lancashire boilermakers, where it has proved itself an exceedingly serviceable machine. It consists of two strong headstocks, which are arranged for carrying the flue between large centres as in a lathe, one of the headstocks being adjustable for this purpose. The fixed headstock is provided with gearing for use when when turning the flues and also with a dividing plate for pitching the holes when drilling. Four compound slide rests are provided, two on each headstock, for turning up the flues quickly. Each of these slide rests carry also a drilling spindle, so that four holes are drilled at once. The. drilling rests are each fitted with Dixon’s motion for instantly releasing and bringing back all the drills simultaneously, without stopping or reversing the machine. Special arrangements are provided for rapidly adjusting the drilling spindles for the different sizes of flues with certainty, so that all flues of the same size can be produced in duplicate. The machine is also provided with a variable rotary
reciprocating motion, so that any excess material left
on the flange after welding, can be cut away rapidly
without having to revolve the flue entirely. In the
centre of the machine an apparatus is provided for
raising and lowering the flues into position between
centres. The whole is mounted on a strong foundation
plate, forming an exceedingly substantial machine.
The manufacturers are Messrs. Kendall and Gent,
Manchester.'[5]
1897 New works built alongside Belle Vue Station, Gorton.
1900 Plano-milling machine and others at the Paris exhibition. Article and illustration in 'The Engineer'. [6]
1901 Article about the new works in the American Machinist [7]
1904 Incorporated as a limited company.
1911 Produced a Break Lathe; screwing machine.
1914 Machine tool makers. Specialities: patent screwing and tapping machines, Dixon's patent radial drilling and tapping machines, milling machines, cutter grinding machines. [8]
1920 Public company.
1920 September. Exhibited at the Machine Tool and Engineering Exhibition at Olympia with milling machines. [9]
1944 Name changed. [To what? Kendall & Gent Ltd?]
1959 Acquired by W. E. Sykes.
1960 The company built a massive 450 ton plano milling machine with a 70ft long bed for C. A. Parsons and Co. It was capable of machining components 35ft 6in long by 12ft wide and 9ft 6in high, weighing up to 100 tons. [10]
1961 Machine tool makers. [11]
1966 Acquired by Staveley Industries[12]
'Scuttling'
1875 'SENT TO GAOL FOR SCUTTLING. At the Salford Borough Court this morning, before Mr. R. M. Redhead and Mr. W. W. Goulden, William Lennie and Jonathan Edwards, aged 14 and 17 respectively, were brought up in custody on the charge of throwing stones to the annoyance of passengers in Springfield Lane. It appears that nearly every meal-time it is the custom of the lads employed at the firm of Messrs. Kendall and Gent, machinists, to engage in pitched battles at "scuttling" with those employed at the mill of Messrs. Langworthy. As these proceedings take place in a public thoroughfare, several persons have had their heads cut open, and have otherwise been injured, and in consequence of the complaints which have been made Detective-sergeant Eyre and several other constables in plain clothing were set to watch this particular neighbourhood. At five minutes to nine this morning, the encounter between the opposing factors was resumed, about fifty lads in all participating. Eyre and the other officers, who were secreted in dwelling-houses, then rushed upon the scene, and four of the lads were apprehended and brought to the police station. The bench having heard the above evidence, the prisoners were sent to gaol for 14 days with hard labour. Mr. Redhead said there must be an end put to this practice, and though they were sorry to send lads so young to gaol, under the circumstances they could not do otherwise.'[13]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Manchester Evening News - Thursday 23 May 1872
- ↑ Bolton Chronicle - Saturday 07 July 1855
- ↑ The Engineer of 17th November 1876 p349
- ↑ Engineering 1886/06/25
- ↑ Engineering 1886/12/24
- ↑ The Engineer of 7th September 1900 p237
- ↑ [1] American Machinist, 7 Feb 1901, pp.127-9
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Engineer of 24th September 1920 p295
- ↑ The Engineer of 29th January 1960 p166
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ The Times, Feb 21, 1967
- ↑ Manchester Evening News, 18 September 1875
- [2] Manchester Archives
- Machine Tools by James Weir French in 2 vols. Published 1911 by Gresham