Connolly Brothers (Blackley) Ltd was established in 1919, when the assets of Connolly Brothers Ltd were sold to Enfield Cables Limited.
Connollys was a member of the industry body the Cable Makers Association, and was best known for its Blackley Tape product.
As well as the main works in Blackley, Manchester, the company had a factory in Kirkby and offices in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Aycliffe.
The company became a subsidiary of British Insulated Callenders Cables Ltd in 1959, although it continued to operate independently, manufacturing telephone cable. It was became known as BICC Connollys Ltd in 1975 when a restructure of British Insulated Callenders Cables Ltd resulted in the parent company being renamed BICC Ltd.
In 1999, BICC Ltd sold its cable manufacturing business, including BICC Connollys Ltd, to Corning, which was acquired in turn by Belden Cables in 2000. Belden Cables maintained its operations at the former Connollys (Blackley) Ltd works.
British Insulated Callenders Cables plc, known as BICC from 1975, was a British cable manufacturer and construction company, formed in 1945 by the merger of two long established cable firms, Callender's Cable & Construction Company Limited and British Insulated Cables Ltd. The 1945 merger of Callenders Cable and Construction Co with British Insulated Cables Ltd was prefigured by their joint research organisation, Cable Research, established in 1926.
British Insulated Callenders Cables acquired a number of other cable manufacturing companies until, by the 1970s, the firm had UK works at Erith, Prescot, Kirkby, Leyton, Helsby, Leigh, Melling, Wrexham, Blackley, Belfast and Huyton (now Hi-Wire UK Ltd) making electric power cables, telecommunications cables and metals.The company was renamed BICC Ltd in 1975.
