Collection of papers relating to William Muir & Co

YA2013.8

1851 - 1860

The collection consists of a manuscript letter on headed paper from William Muir's works in Millers Lane, Salford, to Mr. Preston, detailing adjustments to one of Muir's machines (1851), a sheet of recommendations for grinding slide rest tools (n.d.), and a handbill for William Muir & Co.'s New Patent Foot Lathe For Sliding And Screw Cutting (c1855).

3 items

English

The donor found the letter and handbill between the pages of Holtzapffel's Turning and Mechanical Manipulation Vol. 2 (1846), which was formerly the property of D. B. Preston. The letter was written by William Muir to Mr. Preston in 1851. It is not known who owned the material between Mr. Preston receiving the letter and flyer in 1851 and the donor offering it to the museum in 2013. William Muir & Co. was a machine tool manufacturing company established in Berwick Street, Salford in 1842. Muir had moved to Manchester in 1840 to work with Joseph Whitworth. Muir & Co. moved to larger premises in Millers Lane, Salford in c.1847. The company built new premises on Sherborne Street, in the Strangeways district of Manchester in 1852. The workshops were called the 'Britannia Works', and by 1887 employed 400 people. Muir & Co. were general machine tool builders, but gained a particular reputation for the quality of their cutting and reaming machines (reamers finish drilled holes). During the 19th century, William Muir & Co. was one of the largest machine tool companies in the world. H W Kearns was a former Chairman of the Board at Muir's, and took 28 of Muir's workers with him when he set up H W Kearns & Co. Ltd. in Broadheath in 1907.

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