Hallam Sleigh and Cheston
of Bagot Street, Birmingham
1898 Company founded.
1900-1940s Sometime in this period they were makers of sliding seat mechanisms.
1929 Various accessories and fittings sold under the Widney name, including drop-window mechanism for saloon coaches, seat fittings, ventilators, revolving ashtrays, etc.[1]
1937 Offered Widney Auto-Static brake.[2]
1947 Private company.
1951 Widney brand.
1953 Company made public.
1953 of Widney Works, Birmingham, 4, made a seat with an automatically adjustable back, giving comfort without complication or heavy additional expense.[3]
1961 Products include windows for omnibuses, railway coaches and motor vehicles. Simplastic glazing process used in vehicle window and windscreen manufacture. 800 employees. [4]
1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Mechanisms for adjustable seats. [5]
1982 The company was making losses and cut its workforce in half to save money. There was a rights issue in April[6]. Presumably at this point the name of the group was changed to Widney which first announced its interim results in August[7].
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Commercial Motor 29th October 1929
- ↑ Commercial Motor 24th December 1937
- ↑ Commercial Motor 1st May 1953
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ 1963 Motor Show
- ↑ The Times Apr. 22, 1982
- ↑ The Times Aug. 6, 1982
- Birmingham’s Industrial Heritage by Ray Shill. Published by Sutton Publishing 2002. ISBN 0-7509-2593-0