of 89 Sumner Street, Southwark, London, SE; and of London Crane Works, Derby.
1878 Henry James Coles set up business making cranes in a workshop in Sumner Street, Southwark, London[1]. Three of his brothers also worked for the business.
1879 Acquired Appleby Brothers Sumner Street factory
1881 Henry's brother Walter Joseph Coles joined the business
1886 Supplied a set of hydraulic slipway machinery with steam-powered pumps to the Imperial Japanese Government’s yard at Hiogo. Designed to haul 1300-ton vessels up a slope of 1 in 20. [2]
1886 Supplied a 5-ton hydraulic dock crane for the New Pier Extension at Woolwich Arsenal [3]
1887 Products included gantry cranes and steam-powered slewing cranes of 2 to 10 tons lifting capacity.
1890 Range of rail-mounted steam cranes, some with Coles patent single chain grab.
1898 Expansion by moving to a site in Derby. New generation of rail cranes developed.
1904 Supplied a 2 ton electric crane to John Broadwood and Sons, works No. 297, for their new factory. [4]
1907 Henry J. Coles Ltd was incorporated.
1922 Mobile crane launched, based on Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric solid-tyred chassis.
1926 Sale of company to A. W. Farnsworth.
1928 Introduction of diesel-engined railway crane.
1939 Company sold to Steel and Co Ltd - Coles Cranes became a subsidiary of Steels Engineering Products Ltd.