Staveley Coal and Iron Co
of Staveley, Hollingwood, near Chesterfield. Telephone: Staveley 7251. Telegraphic Address: "Staveley, Hollingwood"
1600s Quarrying for iron ore took place on the Duke of Devonshire's land at Staveley, from the 17th century, and an iron foundry and furnace was established there.
1786 Three blast furnaces were lit, owned by Ward and Lowe.
1850 These furnaces were acquired by the Charles Barrow
1860s The company belonged to Mr Richard Barrow
1863 Company registered. The Staveley Coal and Iron Co became a public limited company in 1863-1864, at a time when the ironworks was producing 20,000 tons of iron castings per year. Charles Markham (1823-1888) was appointed as managing director and chief engineer in 1863, overseeing a massive expansion in the company, particularly in iron pipe production and coal mining. The company was registered on 29 December. [1]
1880 May have produced a few railway locomotives. [2]
1880 An article in The Engineer details the Pumping Engines at Staveley Old and New, see The Engineer 1880/10/08, p 269.
1888 On the death of Charles Markham, George Bond was appointed general manager.
1894 Cast iron production was 700,000 tons/year. Charles Paxton Markham, elder son of Charles Markham, held the chairmanship from 1894 to 1926.
By 1905 production had increased to to 2.5 million tons.
From the coke-oven gases sulphate of ammonia, tar, and benzole were recovered; benzole was refined into high-grade tar products.
The Devonshire Chemical Works were constructed on an extensive scale to utilise on the spot the "waste" products — that is to say, the gas of the coke ovens.
1912 A plant for distilling tar was erected, from which are now obtained naphtha, creosote oil, refined naphthalene, anthracene, tar acids, and pitch.
1913 the manufacture of sulphuric acid was begun.
WWI plant was erected for the manufacture of nitric acid, nitro benzole, and aniline oil.
1915 Charles Paxton Markham became managing director; he arranged the acquisition of the Broad Oaks engineering works at Chesterfield.
1925 The Staveley Coal and Iron Company, gave notice that owing to bad trade its Dowell Colliery will be closed for an indefinite period.[3]
By this time the property had developed into a large and very prosperous concern, having four modern and five old open-top blast furnaces. The boilers were fired by blast-furnace gas.
c.1926 Took on the business of Markham and Co
1926 - January. Developments are also announced at the collieries and works of the Staveley Coal and Iron Co, Ltd., Mr. G. N. Turner the general manager speaking to the Barlbro Colliery officials on Saturday, said that the sinking at the " Do-Well " colliery had not been as successful as was anticipated, but the directors hoped to open the pit again if trade improved. They had also sunk a shaft at the Pebley pit of the Barlbro Colliery down to the deep soft coal, which would enable the men to get to their work more quickly. The company installed a huge gas engine at its Devonshire Works, Staveley, which was the largest at the time, of its kind in the world.[4]
1926 Re-lit thirty coke ovens, which brought the number of operating coke ovens to sixty-five.[5]
1937 British Industries Fair Advert for Coal. Pig Iron. Cast Iron Pipes. Sand Spun, Metal Spun and Vertically Cast, Flexible Joints. Tarred Slag. Chemicals and By-products. Salt. Bricks and Tiles. Wood Wool, etc. (Building, General Heating and Cooking Section - Stand Nos. B.613 and B.512). [6]
1946 The coal industry was nationalised.
1948 Staveley Iron and Chemical Co was formed as a private company.
1951 Subsidiary Staveley Iron and Chemical Co nationalised under the Iron and Steel Act; became part of the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain[7].
1953 The directors, bruised by the negotiations for compensation of their nationalised coal properties, decided not to bid for Staveley Iron and Chemical Co when it was to be sold by the Holding and Realization Agency. Subsidiary companies included:
- British Soda Co Ltd
- Bradley and Foster Ltd of and its subsidiaries Bradley's (Concrete) and Arblaster and Co
- Bradleys (Darlaston) Ltd
- Beswicks Lime Works Ltd
- Birmingham Chemical Co Ltd
- R. D. Nicol and Co Ltd
- Tilghmans Patent Sand Blast Co
- James Archdale and Co Ltd.
1954 Valuations had been completed for compensation in respect of the nationalisation of Arkwright Coal Co, Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries and Newstead Colliery Co. Subsidiary companies included:
- James Archdale and Co Ltd.
- British Soda Co Ltd
- Bradley and Foster Ltd and its subsidiaries Bradley's (Concrete) and Arblaster and Co
- Bradleys (Darlaston) Ltd
- Beswicks Lime Works Ltd
- Birmingham Chemical Co Ltd
- R. D. Nicol and Co Ltd
- Tilghman's and its subsidiaries George Richards and Co and Wilkinson's Tools
and machine tool companies in Canada.
1954 Acquired W. H. Smith and Co, electrical engineers of Manchester[8]
1961 Iron founders, producers of pig iron, manufacturers of sand spun, metal spun and vertically cast iron pipes and fittings, industrial acids, coal tar products, electrolytic products, light hydrocarbon oils, intermediates for dyestuffs and fine chemical manufacture, coke, wood wool, bricks, producers of moulding sand, ganister, ironstone mine owners. 5,000 employees. [9]
1961 Name changed to Staveley Industries[10]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ British Steam Locomotive Builders by James W. Lowe. Published in 1975. ISBN 0-905100-816
- ↑ The Engineer 1925/12/18
- ↑ The Engineer 1926/01/15
- ↑ The Engineer 1926/11/26
- ↑ 1937 British Industries Fair Advert p540; and p418
- ↑ Hansard 19 February 1951
- ↑ The Times, Dec 02, 1954
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ The Times, Mar 09, 1961