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‎Mechanical engineering firm, manufacturing pumps, valves, compressors and hydraulic equipment.

Established in 1883 by Harry Holden and Robert Grundy Brooke, the company was first situated at St Simon's Works, Salford. It became a limited liability company in 1887, with Brooke as its Managing Director.

The company initially manufactured injectors along with drilling machines and gas engines. However, demand for steam injectors was so great that they stopped producing drilling machines and gas engines and concentrated on injectors. In 1890 Robert Brooke patented the 'One-Movement' Injector, which became the company's best-known product.

In 1897 because of increased production they moved to larger premises: the Sirius Works, West Gorton, Manchester. The firm opened its own brass and iron foundries at around this period. The company increased its range of steam related equipment and in 1912 started to produce centrifugal pumps, which they continued to produce. As well as pumps the Heater Department was expanded and they designed and manufactured all types of heat exchangers for industrial use.

Robert Brooke's eldest son, Geoffrey Brooke joined the firm in 1909. He became a company director in 1919.

During the First World War, Holden & Brooke undertook work for the Admiralty, War Office, Air Ministry and Ministry of Munitions. This included parts for use in submarines and airplanes.

In the interwar years an initial boom period was followed by a period of reorganisation following a major fire that had destroyed the business' pattern shop and drawing office in 1920. By 1924, however, the firm was in a position to open a London office under Walter Richard. Richard was a member of the Board in 1925, alongside Geoffrey Brooke's brother Robert.

1925 saw Brookes & Holden launch another successful product, an accelarator for water heating systems known as 'Selfix'. Its popularity prompted the firm to build a new light assembly shop. At this time the company was also manufacturing heat transfer plant for the chemical, oil refining and artificial silk industries.

Robert Brooke (senior) died in 1929, and was succeeded by Harry Holden as Chairman, and by his son Geoffrey Brooke as Managing Director.

The business continued to expand, opening offices in the Midlands and the North of England.

The company was later bought by Armstrong Fluid Technology.

The union was founded in 1885 as the National Confederate Association of Power Loom Overlookers. It was soon renamed the General Union of Associations of Power-Loom Overlookers, as it comprised numerous small unions, mostly based in Lancashire. Early in the 1900s, it again changed its name to become the General Union of Associations of Loom Overlookers.

Because of the decline in the textile industry, the membership number gradually fell during the course of the 20th century. The closure of mills during the 1980s and 1990s further exacerbated the decline in membership. Originally a confederation of various smaller groups of local unions, the declining membership numbers necessitated an overhaul from a federal structure. The central body became known as the General Union of Loom Overlookers however, membership continued to fall until it was decided to dissolve the union in 2007.

Imperial Chemical Industries plc came into existence in 1926, following the merger of Nobel Industries Ltd, Brunner, Mond and Company Ltd, the United Alkali Company, and the British Dyestuffs Corporation. The new company was called Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. Its operations began in 1927, with 33,000 people employed in five main product areas: alkali products, explosives, metals, general chemicals, and dyestuffs. In 1928, its head office opened in Millbank, London. The former British Dyestuffs Corporation works at Blackley, Manchester became the home of ICI's Dyestuffs Division. The main factory for the General Chemicals Division was at Billingham, County Durham.

ICI's Research and Development Department developed a number of significant products in the early 20th century, including the acrylic plastic Perspex in 1932, Dulux paint (in partnership with DuPont) in 1932, polyethylene in 1937 and polyethylene terephthalate fibre (known as Terylene and PET) in 1941.

The work on polyethylene was led by the Dyestuffs Division at Blackley until a new Plastics Division was established at Welwyn Garden City in 1937. In 1971, the Dyestuffs Division merged with parts of the Nobel Division to become known as the Organics Division. Later mergers with other specialty chemical producers created ICI Colours and Fine Chemicals, which then became ICI Specialties.

From 1940, ICI Dyestuffs was involved in the manufacture of Nylon fabrics at its Huddersfield plant, and in 1964 the company established ICI Fibres to manage its successful textile, fibres and Nylon production. The Nylon part of the business was sold to DuPont in 1992.

In 1944, as Imperial Chemical (Pharmaceuticals) Ltd, the company was involved in the development of penicillin at its Trafford Park works. Because of its success with pharmaceuticals, the company established ICI Pharmaceuticals in 1957. In 1993, ICI Pharmaceuticals and other bioscience divisions became Zeneca, along with ICI Specialties. Zeneca merged with Astra AB in 1994 to form Astra Zeneca Plc.

General Chemical production continued until the acquisition of ICI by Akzo Nobel in 2007.

Company founded in 1784 and was originally known as William Hollins & Co. The name Viyella came about due to the creation of a new fabric which contained a blend of merino wool and cotton, developed by James and Robert Sissons. Viyella was registered as a trade mark in 1894, making it the first branded fabric in the world. The name Viyella is derived from the name of a road near Matlock, where Hollins & Co acquired a mill for the early production of Viyella, in 1890.

Viyella International Ltd became a company due to a merger in 1961. The company continued to expand, acquiring factories across the United Kingdom. The name changed to Carrington Viyella a few years later.

The Company was founded in Manchester on the 12th November 1878 under the title of The Engine and Boiler Insurance Company with RB Longridge as Chairman and Michael Longridge (his nephew) as Chief Engineer.

The Longridge family were established engineers at the beginning of the 19th Century. They were originally iron masters from Bedlington, Northumberland who also supplied castings and forgings. They were involved in the early development of industrial steam engines and were business partners with both George and Robert Stephenson. RB Longridge formed The Steam Boiler Assurance Company in 1859 but later resigned. Following his resignation, he formed The Engine and Boiler Insurance Company Limited. Within two years the name of the company was altered to The Engine, Boiler and Employers' Liability Company Limited. In 1903, its silver jubilee year, the title British Engine, Boiler and Electrical Insurance Company Limited was adopted until 1978 when the title was abbreviated to British Engine Insurance Limited.

The family association with the company, was terminated in 1966 with the retirement of HM Longridge. The name of Longridge was perpetuated in the title of the Head Office building in Manchester- Longridge House, erected in 1959 on a site embracing that of the original Manchester Steam Users Association of which RB Longridge was Chief Inspector.

Longridge House was demolished in 1997 due to the massive structural damage it sustained following the explosion of a bomb placed in a van, by the IRA, which had been parked outside the building. The Company Number was 14644, registered at Companies House in Scotland.

Company specialising in the manufacturing of commercial cleaning agents, including one called BHC Colloidal Detergent.

Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company Ltd was formed in 1897 by the merger of Joseph Whitworth and Company with Armstrong Mitchell and Company, which itself had been formed by the merging of W.G. Armstrong and Co with Charles Mitchell and Co in 1882. This new company manufactured a wide range of products including hydraulic equipment, bridges, armaments and ships. Its shipyards produced many merchant vessels such as freighters, tankers, dredgers and icebreaking train ferries for Lake Baikal. They also constructed warships for the Royal Navy, Imperial Russian Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy, including the first polar icebreaker ‘Yermak’, which was constructed for the Russian Navy and launched in 1898.

Initially the new company was headed by William George Armstrong but following his death in 1900 Andrew Noble was appointed as chairman. Also, at this time production of cars and truck would begin, in order to diversify production following the end of the Boer War and the resultant drop in the demand for artillery. Initially these were designed by other companies, but this would switch to inhouse designs later on.

In 1913 an aerial department was formed to begin production of aeroplane and airships. This department produced a number of different designs during the First World War and in 1920 it became a subsidiary under the name Sir W.G. Whitworth Aircraft Ltd.

Following the end of the First World War the company again recognised a need to diversify due to a greatly reduced demand for munitions. As part of this it formed a subsidiary under the name Armstrong Whitworth Development Company. This acquired Siddeley-Deasy, which became known as Armstrong Siddeley Motors, as well as a controlling interests in Crompton and Co and A and J Main and Co. The Scotswood Works would also be repurposed to build railway locomotives. This proved successful due to the modern machinery that had been installed and would produce 1,464 locomotives until 1937 when it was converted back to armament manufacturing. In addition to the steam locomotives common at the time this figure also included diesel locomotives and railcars due to a licence acquired for Sulzer.

1920 not only saw the aerial department’s reorganisation into the Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company but also the purchasing of a controlling interest in Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Co, along with its subsidiary Partington Steel and Iron Co. Later, in 1922, the company would also form the Newfoundland Power and Paper Utilities Corporation in order to finance a paper mill and in 1925 Boving Engineering Co was purchased.

By 1926 the company was suffering financially. Due to the Newfoundland company going over budget and not achieving its productions goals the company was suffering from a greatly reduced cash flow. In the first 11 months of 1926 its losses amounted to £625,767 and by 1927 the decision had been take to merge the defence and engineering businesses with that of Vickers in order to create a new subsidiary of Vickers Armstrong. The ownership of this would be split so that Vickers held 2/3 and Armstrong-Whitworth held 1/3. The Armstrong Whitworth Development Company would also be sold, and it became the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company following its acquisition by J.D. Siddeley, although Armstrong-Whitworth still held a substantial shareholding and also retained the Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Company.

Despite these actions heavy financial losses continued and, although they were offset by the sale of the company’s shares in the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company, they still resulted in a serious reduction in capital. As a result, the decision was taken to form two new companies to take over the activities of the original one. These were Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company (Engineers) Ltd, which took over the general engineering business, and Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company (Shipbuilders) Ltd, which took over the Devon, Walker and Tyne shipyards. A holding company was also formed to manage these, Armstrong Whitworth Securities Company Ltd. In 1930 a third company was added to the group, Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company (Ironfounders) Ltd.

Beyond this the 1930s saw a winding down of the Armstrong-Whitworth group’s activities. In 1935 Vickers bought the remaining shares of Vickers-Armstrong and in 1937 Sir John Jarvis acquired Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth and Co (Ironfounders) Ltd to relieve unemployment on Tyneside. By 1937 the group had also ended production of locomotives and only the engineering subsidiary remained. This was sold in 1943 and the group was liquidated.

The company was formed in 1859 by William Jones and in 1860 he formed a partnership with Thomas Chadwick, becoming Chadwick & Jones. The company manufactured sewing machines under licence from Howe and Wilson from 1863 onwards. In 1869 William Jones opened a factory in Guide Bridge after his partner Thomas Chadwick left the company. The Jones’ Sewing Machine Company continued to manufacture machines until 1968, when it was acquired by Brother Industries.

Labour and Trade Union movement involved in looking after the conditions and pay of textile workers. The group was established in 1861 and is known to have been active in 1949.

Partnership between Davis, Thomas and Peter Whitehead created in 1815 under the name of Thomas Whitehead and Brothers, they set up as spinners at Balladen Brook Mill. After a difficult start and an injection of further funding from a relative the company grew. In 1822 the brothers decided to build their own mill on land in Rawtenstall. Two years later Higher Mill was operational using machinery from their previous mill and from Bridgend Mills.

The growth of the company was hindered due to the protests against the mechanisation of the textile industry. Various mills in Lancashire suffered at the hand of the loom-wreckers, Thomas Whitehead and Brothers amongst them. Although there was a great deal of disruption the company continued and in 1830 the company started a merchants business with Thomas Kay and David Lacy. This continued until 1844 when Mr Kay wanted to start a store selling groceries, the partnership was wound up in 1844.

In 1857 Thomas Whitehead and Brothers dissolved as a partnership. The various mills and properties owned by the company were divided up and David Whitehead took on Lower Mill and the Holly Mount Estate. David Whitehead took his five sons into partnership with him as David Whitehead & Sons, Lower Mills. In 1892 the company was formed into a private limited company. The early part of the twentieth century was a period of consolidation for the company, along with the improving of mill machinery and engines.

A company started in 1857 by James Edward Allen Gibbs and James Willcox. James Gibbs had been awarded a patent for the first chain stitch single threaded sewing machine in the same year.

The company opened an office in London in 1859 and had several other branch offices around the country and still manufactures and sells sewing machines today.

The Company was founded in Manchester on the 12th November 1878 under the title of The Engine and Boiler Insurance Company with RB Longridge as Chairman and Michael Longridge (his nephew) as Chief Engineer.

The Longridge family were established engineers at the beginning of the 19th Century. They were originally iron masters from Bedlington, Northumberland who also supplied castings and forgings. They were involved in the early development of industrial steam engines and were business partners with both George and Robert Stephenson. RB Longridge formed The Steam Boiler Assurance Company in 1859 but later resigned. Following his resignation, he formed The Engine and Boiler Insurance Company Limited. Within two years the name of the company was altered to The Engine, Boiler and Employers' Liability Company Limited. In 1903, its silver jubilee year, the title British Engine, Boiler and Electrical Insurance Company Limited was adopted until 1978 when the title was abbreviated to British Engine Insurance Limited.

The family association with the company, was terminated in 1966 with the retirement of HM Longridge. The name of Longridge was perpetuated in the title of the Head Office building in Manchester- Longridge House, erected in 1959 on a site embracing that of the original Manchester Steam Users Association of which RB Longridge was Chief Inspector.

Longridge House was demolished in 1997 due to the massive structural damage it sustained following the explosion of a bomb placed in a van, by the IRA, which had been parked outside the building. The Company Number was 14644, registered at Companies House in Scotland.

Powers were granted in 1890. The Electricity Department was originally under the control of the Sub-Committee of the Gas Department. It was not until 1897 that it had its own standing Committee. The first generating station was located at Dickinson Street and opened in 1893, supplying electricity on the 1st August. The corporation built a further two power generating stations at Bloom Street opened in 1901 and Stuart Street opened in 1900.

At the end of the Second World War the cotton industry in the United States of America became increasingly worried about the previous markets that had existed for raw cotton before the war. The country had a stockpile of 11 million bales by the end of 1945 and prices had remained low, even with a smaller crop than anticipated in 1945 due to bad weather.

The other concerns upper-most in the minds of the industry was the increasing use of synthetic rayon and returning service personnel who they thought would go back to growing cotton, both factors effecting the price of cotton. The war in Europe and Japan had all but destroyed the capacity for producing cotton textiles and the worry was that it would be easier to erect mills producing synthetic yarns, thereby cutting off a market for American raw cotton.

The National Cotton Council (NCC) became the voice of the industry, the first meeting having took place in 1938. From 1945 the NCC developed a program to promote and improve of exporting cotton. The NCC was involved in all aspects of promoting cotton in the legislative, financial and commercial fields of promoting cotton.

The NCC felt the biggest threat came from synthetic fibres, and therefore took the lead in developing exports with the view that it had to consider the interests of the foreign markets and not just the interests of the cotton growers in America. At a meeting held in Buxton, England in 1952 executives of the leading textile manufacturers were invited to a conference, to discuss the growing capacity of the textile industry.

Because of the passing of Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act, Public Law 480 in 1954 authorising the export of the sale of surplus cotton in exchange for foreign, rather than US, currency. To facilitate the new law, the Cotton Council International (CCI) was created to carry out the agreement on behalf of the cotton industry. The NCC created the CCI in 1956 and almost immediately began to organise market research and sales promotions internationally. This helped to increase cotton consumption in the countries involved with the CCI.

Whilst the CCI was operating, several discussions had been held about creating a new international organisation. This was suggested as a means of attracting much needed money to help finance the operation of the International Institute for Cotton (IIC). Therefore in 1966 at the signing ceremony attended by the major producers of cotton and original members of the organisation, the United States, Mexico, Egypt, India and Spain it was agreed to collect one U.S. Dollar from producers for each bale of cotton exported to Europe or Japan.

This revenue helped to establish several offices around the world and the organisation was better placed to promote the consumption of cotton at a local level by, advertising, fashion shows, market research and development. The larger resources of the IIC meant it could compete against the large resources of the synthetic fibres industry.

It was the funding of the various projects by the member countries that ultimately led to the disbanding of the IIC. Member countries complained that several new countries who had developed their raw cotton production did not join the organisation however, they did benefit from the promotional work carried out by the IIC. Gradually disaffected member countries left which affected the level of funds available to the organisation to function. By 1995 the remaining members were finding it difficult to collect the agreed assessments and financial support from other organisations was not available. The International Institute for Cotton was disbanded in 1996.

Originally Crompton & Co Ltd, founded in 1878 by R.E.B. Crompton lamp manufacturer. The company merged with F & A Parkinson Ltd in 1927 and became known as Crompton Parkinson Ltd. The company was eventually taken over by Hawker Siddeley Aerospace Group in 1968.

Formed as a result of the Gas Act 1986 used as an instrument for the privitisation of the Brtish Gas Corporation. Shares in the newly privatised company were floated on the 8th December 1986. The company was demerged into several smaller parts, in 1997, Centrica, BG Group and Transco.

Rolls-Royce Limited was established by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1904. The company designed and built luxury cars and with the help of Henry Royce’s previous experience in building cranes, it soon gained widespread reputation for engineering excellence.

During the First World War Rolls-Royce added building aero engines to its skills. This enabled them to later become involved in the development of jet engines. They worked engines for both the civilian and military market. However, a costly over-run in designing and building the RB211 civilian aircraft engine brought the company to financial ruin. Even though the RB211 proved a great success in 1971 the owners of the company entered voluntary liquidation.

The government of the day bought the productive parts of the company which became known as Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited. Portions of the company were sold to British Aircraft Corporation and transferred the profitable car division to Rolls-Royce Motors Holdings Limited. In 1987 Rolls-Royce Ltd was privatised and subsequently became Rolls-Royce plc. The Rolls-Royce Motors brand was bought by BMW in 1998.