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The Pump Makers. These are the ones we've found so far - listed in alphabetical order (there will be many more). It's become apparent that some installers simply affixed their nameplate to a pump supplied by one of the larger manufacturers, and inevitably some of the names we've listed are therefore not necessarily the makers of the pump. One Northern Ireland foundry advertised in their catalogue that customers' names could be cast on the head of their Belfast pattern pumps. Apologies for the quality of some of the images - the nameplates are usually corroded or covered in multiple layers of paint or dirt, often damaged, and sometimes hard to get at. A wet finger will occasionally bring up the lettering, but in some cases it's just too far gone. |
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| Manufacturer | Details | Trademark | |
| Frederick Adames, 7 & 8 East St., Chichester. |
In 1869 "Adames & Grant" but listed as "Frederick Adames - Late Adames & Grant, Wholesale, Retail, Furnishing and General Ironmonger" in the 1880 Chichester Directory. He advertised "the supply and installation of every kind of heating apparatus and pumps for deep wells". The business was taken over by Adolphus Ballard in 1885, who in turn sold the business to T.E.Jay. Read more - but it's a very large .pdf file. | ||
| W.
Affleck, Swindon. |
Seen on a pump in Meysey Hampton, Glos, and most likely refers to William Affleck, founder of the Prospect Engineering Works, Swindon, who was born in Gateshead in 1816 and died in 1894. | ![]() |
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| L.
Airey, Plumber, Kendal. |
This name found on a pump at Soulby Green, Cumbria. | ![]() |
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| F &
H Alford Plumbers Park Street Gloucester |
This name seen on the plank of a pump in a pub at Awre, Glos, and similarly on a pump plank at Toddington Station on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. | ![]() |
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| Amies and Barford, Peterborough. | Seen on a pump at Binbrook, Lincs. Amies & Barford were a firm of ironmongers and builders merchants, and records over the period 1860-1937 lists Barford & Perkins Ltd., as road roller and agricultural machinery manufacturers. | ||
| Appleby & Co, Renishaw Ironworks, Renishaw, Derbs (between Chesterfield and Sheffield). | Found quite widely around the country, including Glos, Warks, Herts, Essex, Cumbs, Sussex and Yorks. An Appleby Chain Pump exists in Charterhouse, Soms. A pump in Graveley, Herts, reportedly carries the inscription: | ![]() |
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| APPLEBY & Co. RENISHAW IRON WORKS INVENTORS & MANUFACTURERS OF PUMPS WITH REGISTERED BUCKETS & CONE VALVES. No 4017. |
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| Commonly
the inscription reads: APPLEBY & CO. RENISHAW IRONWORKS NR CHESTERFIELD |
And ones
in Wilmcote, Warks; Barrowden, Rutland; and Cropwell Butler, Notts
read: APPLEBY & CO. PATENTEES RENISHAW IRON WORKS DERBYSHIRE Pumps at Owermoigne, Dorset, and Rushbrook, Suffolk, have similar inscriptions on their caps. |
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| The Renishaw History Group confirms that Appleby & Co Renishaw Iron Works was founded in the late 18 century by Thomas Appleby, who with Edward Scholefield purchased the land for the Iron Works on 22 June 1793. Thomas died on 15 Nov 1814, and James Appleby, probably his son, is mentioned in 1841 as being the owner. The Renishaw Iron Works was by the mid-19th Century one of the largest in Britain, and it closed in 1999. | ![]() |
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| T. Ashfield | Found on a pump at St. Bride's Major, Vale of Glamorgan. Not yet positively identified identified this company, but I've found a Thomas Ashfield, pump maker of North Malvern, Worcs, who died in 1872. | ![]() |
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| Ashwell
& Nesbit Ltd., Barkby Lane, Leicester. Also at London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. |
"No. 2 Runwell British Make" is on a pump at Sandford, Isle of
Wight, and "No. 3 Runwell British Make" semi-rotaries have turned up in
Australia and New Zealand. Ashwell & Nesbit was founded in Leicester in 1879 by Frank Ashwell, when the firm's main activity was mill-wrighting. A heating department was started in 1884 with David Mein Nesbit joining later as manager, and he became a partner in 1891. Business expanded to cover heating ranges, ovens, cast iron railings, windows and hosiery pressing". In 1919 a patent was taken out on "improvements in and relating to Semi-rotary Pumps". In 1992 Ashwells was taken over with a management buyout, the company was restructured and, as Ashwell Biomass Ltd of Thurmaston, Leicester, they are now deeply into the production of biomass boilers. |
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| Atta's
Iron Foundry PVT Ltd., 171, Grand Trank Rd, Salkia Howrah West-Bengal 711106 India |
"Atta'S Iron Foundry Service No: 3" [sic] - found on a pump in Ladykirk, Scottish Borders. A complete mystery as to how this pump found its way to this location. We've now located another one, at Wreay, Cumbs, with the wording "Atta's Iron Foundry Service No: 6". |
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| William
Baily, 71 Gracechurch St., London |
Found on a pump at Dunmore, Falkirk. The company advertised themselves in 1840 as "Furnishing Ironmongers", and they exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851. By 1870 William's sons, Charles and Henry Baily, were running the company and they advertised themselves as "Manufacturing and Furnishing Ironmongers, Smiths, Bellhangers, Gas Fitters & Stove, Grate and Kitchen Range & Hot Water Apparatus Makers". See more detail at http://www.valentines.org.uk/valentines_mansion/range.html | ||
| T.
Baker & Sons, Compton, Berks. |
Seen on a 130 gal wheeled water barrel, with a hand pump mounted on the end, at a Steam Fair in Cheltenham, Glos. The handpump had no markings. A c.1900 catalogue of theirs advertises "liquid manure and water carts, sanitary tumbler carts, street watering carts and vans, street sweeping machines, builders and contractors carts, pumps and hoses". | ||
| Herbert
Bale, Kidderminster. |
"HERBERT. BALE KIDD.R", written on a pump at Neen Sollars, Herefs and at Eastham, Worcs. The company also made iron railings. | ![]() |
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| H.
Ball, Plumber, Long Eaton |
Name on a small pump barrel found buried in in-fill in Leeming Bar, N. Yorks. The only H. Ball we've managed to trace in Long Eaton was a Horace Ball, who was Captain of the Long Eaton Fire Brigade, 1886-1896. Not necessarily the same person! | ![]() |
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| Ball
& Horton, Stratford-upon-Avon |
"Ball & Horton, Stratford upon Avon" seen on a flywheel & crank pump in the middle of a field near Snitterfield, Warks. Frederick Ball and William Horton, engineers, were in business in Stratford-upon-Avon over at least the period 1868-1913. Frederick's widow, Sarah Anne, became a partner in 1907. | |
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| Bamford's of Uttoxeter. | Makers of a "Universal" in Naunton, Worcs; and Cardington, Shrops;
"Universal Deep Well Pumps" at Longstanton, Cambs; Ryton, Shrops; and Marston
Montgomery, Derbs; and a "Model 2A" in Uttoxeter. There's a Bamford's pump at
Hannington, Swindon, and the name Bamford is reported to appear on a pump in
Tushingham, Chester. Multiple Bamford's pumps abound to the North of Cambridge
and there's one at Alsonefield, Staffs. Bamford Chain Pumps can be found at Outgate, near Hawkshead, Cumbs; at Beamish Museum, Co. Durham; Lodsworth, W. Sussex; in a garden in Guildford, Surrey; and on a farm at Darley Dale, nr Northwood, Derbs . Examples of "Bamford's Frost Protected Lift Pumps" are at Lloc, Flint; Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon; Great Cubley, Derbs; Longstanton, Cambs; Market Bosworth, Leics. The company originally set up business in Uttoxeter as ironmongers, expanded into making pumps, taps and agricultural implements, and eventually grew into the international company, JCB. See more at http://www.henrybamfordandsonsuttoxeterengland.co.uk/beginning.htm. |
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| Thomas
Barber, Ryston Cottage, Lugwardine, Herefs. |
Written article records him (b.1861) as the last of four generations of wooden pump makers. | |
| Barrett
Exall & Andrewes, Iron Works, Katesgrove, Reading, Berks. |
This large ironworks was founded in 1817/18, employing up to 360 people and occupying a 12 acre plot. They produced agricultural machinery and portable/fixed engines, winning many prize medals in Britain and Europe - including one at the 1851 Great Exhibition. In 1838 they provided ironwork for Brunel's new London-Bristol Railway. They produced a share (100) of the worlds' first production internal combustion engines, designed in 1860 by Lenoir. They also carried out much work for Palmer's local biscuit industry, including a steam-driven biscuit machine. The link with Palmer continued, and their pump at Sonning carries a dedication to Robert Palmer dated 1846. George Barrett died in 1858, and even his memorial stone is made of cast iron. In 1877 Alfred Palmer, one-time High Sheriff of Berkshire, married the youngest daughter of William Exall, one of the iron foundry's partners. In 1864 the company changed its name to The Reading Iron Works Ltd, and ultimately went into liquidation during the agricultural slump of 1888. | |
| Beck
& Co Ltd, Engineers London. |
Found on a label on a pump in Hardwicke, Glos. The name was repeated around the rim of the cap, along with the words "Patent Antifreezing Pump". A probable brass bilge pump, carrying the company's name and address plus "1915", came to light in Paris. | ![]() |
| Bellow & Son, Leominster. | Reportedly the manufacturers of a pump in Sarnesfield, Herefs. An 1879 directory records a John Bellow & Son as general ironmongers, plumbers, braziers, tin & iron plate workers, hot water fitters, & bar iron warehouse, 26 High Street. Another directory of 1897 records the firm at the same address as general ironmonger, bar, hoop and sheet iron merchants, plumbers, braziers, iron and tin-plate workers, dealers in oils, colours, implements, seeds, etc. | |
| C.
Benson, Knaresborough. |
"C. Benson, Plumber, Knaresbro" seen on a pump in Hopperton, Yorks. | ![]() |
| J. H. Best. | Apparently on a pump at Launceston. | |
| Board of Ordnance | The letters "BO" together with a likely War Dept arrow marking, seen on a pump at Calbourne Mill, Isle of Wight. Best bet so far is that it stands for "Board of Ordnance" (although British Ordnance has also been suggested). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Ordnance. Elsewhere it's recorded that BO with a broad upward arrow was in use before 1855, and WD and arrow after that date. | ![]() |
| Robert
Boby, Bury St. Edmunds. |
Robert Boby was a major manufacturer making agricultural implements in Bury St Edmunds from 1843 until the 1970s. At its height in the 1870s it employed about 200 men. A belt-driven pump made by the company survives in the Museum of East Anglian Rural Life, Stowmarket. | |
| Bodley
Bros, Commercial Rd., Exeter. |
On a pump
in Hatherleigh, Devon. George Bodley established an iron foundry in Exeter in
1790 and by 1881 Owen Henry Bodley was recorded as employing 50 men and boys.
The company produced a wide range of products, including machine-tools,
traction and steam engines, and general castings. The next generation of
Bodleys didn't take any part in the running of the company, which was
henceforth adminstered by trustees, Campion the solicitors. They ran the
company until 1966, when the last of the Bodley children died, and closed it
down a year later. "Bodley Exeter" seen on a pump in Kenn, Devon. |
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| Braithwaite & Co, Bath Place, New Road, London. |
Reported on a pump at Harrow-on-the-Hill, Greater London. The company was famed for its steam engines, including the first steam fire engine (see http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/John_Braithwaite), but they were also "engaged in the manufacture of pumps, sinking wells, &c". | |
| T.
Buchanan, Dunkeld. |
Reported on a pump at Logierait, Perth & Kinloss. | |
| J. U.
Bugler, Ashford. |
Inscribed on a pump at Shadoxhurst, Kent, with the date 1887. In 1861 Jonathan U. Bugler was stated to be an ironmonger who lived at Stoke House, Church St., Ashford. He was still there in 1882, when the Kentish Express & Ashford News of 11 March carried a report of John Udal Bugler of Ashford in bankruptcy at Canterbury court. | |
| William
Carlile & Co, Donegall St., Belfast |
"WM CARLILE & CO, PLUMBERS, BELFAST" Seen on a pump at Saintfield, Co. Down. William Carlile (Carlisle) & Co., plumbers, brassfounders, gas fitters &c" were listed at Donegall Street, Belfast from 1861 to the 1890s. | ![]() |
| Hugh
Casey D. Vadden |
Seen on a pump in Broughshane, Co. Antrim. No further information, but D.Vadden might be a shortened form of Dunnyvadden. | ![]() |
| G. E.
Child, Southwold. |
Edmund Child established his Southwold iron and brass foundry in the early 1800s, in what's still known as Child's Yard. His son George Edmund took over the business in 1841, and in 1873 they built the pump in Southwold's Market Place. | |
| Citizen. | The name found on a small barrel pump in Cartmel, Cumbs. | |
| A L Claeys, Zedelgem, Belgium. |
Found this name on two small domestic pumps offered for sale by a Belgian dealer at an agricultural show in Malvern, Worcs. They carried a "2" and a trademark on their barrels - which might be CA or AC - and "Belgium" on the handles. Alexandre Claeys established a foundry in Zedelgem from 1825, with his son Louis and grandson Aime taking over in turn. | ![]() |
| J. H. Clarke & Sons, Pump Makers, Well Sinkers, Kenilworth. |
Inscribed on a plaque in the possession of a contact in Warwickshire, and a very similar name appears on a pump at Princethorpe, Warks - possibly "J. I. Clarke & Son Pumpmakers" - although the latter is corroded. | ![]() |
| Clements & Acheson, 111, Victoria St, Belfast. |
"CLEMENTS & ACHESON BELFAST" seen on a pump in Ballymacricket, Co. Antrim. An 1877 trade directory lists "Clements & Acheson, plumbers, gas fitters, brass founders and lead merchants, 111 Victoria Street, Belfast". |
| Clinton and Owens, Engineers. | A fragment of this nameplate - "CLINTO ENG" - is on a pump at Godalming, and I believe that it originally read "CLINTON & OWENS ENGINEERS LONDON". A major company, which later became S. Owens & Co - see below. | ![]() |
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| Alex
Clyde, 1, Smithfield Sq, Ballymena. |
"A CLYDE BALLYMENA" found on an abandoned pump on the shore at Rathlin Island, nr Ballymena, Co. Antrim, and "A. CLYDE" on a pump at Parkgate, Co.Antrim. Alex Clyde was recorded as a registered plumber and sanitary engineer in Ballymena in 1910 and 1917. | ![]() |
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| Coalbrookdale & Co. | Makers of pumps in Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd (see maker's mark,
opposite); a practically indentical one at Stanton-by-Dale, Derbs; and further
examples at Ickleford, Herts; Burrington, Soms. One in private hands in Tisbury, Wilts, carries a round maker's mark, opposite. Examples of pumps are shown in the Coalbrookdale Company Catalogue 1875, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. See: http://www.darwincountry.org/explore/002496.html |
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| G. W.
Coates, Plumber, Boroughbridge. |
Found on a pump in Coneythorpe, N. Yorks. | ![]() |
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| Coleman
& Morton, London Road Iron Works, Chelmsford, Essex |
The names "Coleman & Morton" found on a pump at Newport, Essex, dated 1877. The company, originally named Coleman & Son, was established in the 1850s. They manufactured and sold a vast range of agricultural implements, including wagons, cultivators and water carts. The partnership was wound up in 1906. | ![]() |
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| Coppage
& Son, Brecon |
Seen on a pump at The Bishop's Palace, Llanddew, Powys. | ||
| Henry
Cornish, Walsingham |
"CORNISH WALSINGHAM" seen on pumps in Brancaster and Great Massingham, Norfolk. A bit of research comes up with a Henery [sic] Cornish aged 51 in 1851, recorded in the census as "Iron Worker - Master Agricultural Implement Maker employing 15 men 6 apprentices". Elsewhere his wife Mary and their offspring James, Ezra, Jabez, Henry and Eliza are all recorded as having key roles in the family business. The site of their business has now been converted into housing known appropriately as The Old Foundry. | |
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| Joseph Cranstone, Phoenix Works, Hemel Hempstead. (later the Hemel Hempstead Engineering Co.) |
There's a pump in the High Street, Hemel Hempstead, which proclaims that it was manufactured by Joseph Cranstone. His company, founded in 1798 as an ironmongers, was located at 25, High Street, Hemel Hempstead. His son, also Joseph, took over in 1818 and developed it into an iron foundry, which was known as the Phoenix works, and latterly became the Hemel Hempstead Engineering Company. | ||
| J.
Currie & Co., |
Seen on a pump in Fuemore, Co. Antrim. No further information. | |
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| T.
Curtis & Son, Sanitary Plumbers, Gainsborough |
Spotted on a solid lead pump with a willow plunger that was on sale on ebay. | ||
| W.
Davis, Navan |
Found on the flywheel of a probable horse-driven pump at The Argory, a NT property at Moy, Co. Armagh. No further information on the maker. | ||
| Davies
Brothers & Co. Ltd, Crown Works, Cross St. North, Wolverhampton. |
This company, established in 1838, claimed to be "one of the first galvanising companies in the world". They occupied a 3 acre site in Wolverhampton and survived until at least 1971. A 1910 catalogue advertised a "extra strong galvanised steel contractor's pump" which looks very much like one existing today in private hands in Ross-on-Wye - although very similar pumps were also made by Appleby's and Joseph Evans. | ||
| George
Dugan, Lisburn |
"GEORGE
DUGAN LISBURN" seen on a cowtail pump at Ballycowan, Co. Down. "GEORGE DUGAN
PLUMBER LISBURN" on one at Ballyvanen, Co.Antrim; and "G.DUGAN LISBURN" seen on
ones in the Museum of the Gorge, Ironbridge, Shrops and at Dromore, Co.
Down. I've been told that George Dugan (1863-1945) was a master plumber and gasfitter who employed 6 or 7 men. He, his wife Catherine, and their 6 children lived at 3 Chapel Hill, Lisburn. There are/were several more pumps with George Dugan's name on in the vicinity. A descendant is still in business there today, although not connected with pumps or plumbing. |
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| Dunn of Launceton. | Reported on a lead pump head offered for sale over the Internet. | ||
| C. J.
Ell & Sons Engineers Luton |
Seen on a Joseph Evans pump in Foxton, Cambs. | |
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| Joseph Evans & Sons (Wolverhampton) Ltd. | Joseph Evans & Sons (Wolverhampton) Ltd, was founded in 1810
and traded until about 1964, having been acquired by Newman Industries in 1944.
The company had depots in Cardiff, Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow and
Newcastle-on-Tyne, and examples of their pumps are scattered widely around the
UK - and indeed further afield. Their early trademark seems to have been: a. a roundel with the words "Joseph Evans and Sons Wolverhampton" written around the name "Culwell" (the location of their works) and with an "E" in the centre. Seen on pumps in Over Norton, Oxon; Setley, Hants; and Gloucester, Glos. b. at one location on Guernsey, and also one at Fontmell Magna, Dorset, pumps have a similar roundel but with the words "Evans Brand, England" written around "Culwell" and with an "E" in the centre. c. A pitcher pump on the Isle of Wight carries the words "Jos. Evans & Sons Wolverhampton England", around its rim. d, e, f, g. From about 1890 they very conveniently put a lion rampant trademark on all of their pumps, with the word "LION" written beneath. Many carry the message "Made in England", some add "Evans Wolverhampton". h. Some models carry an "RD NO. 46671" - a Registered Number which must have had some significance. i. One at the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron has "RD NO. 45465" [difficult to discern] on its spout. j. Another very small pump at Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbs, has "RD NO. 8231" on its spout and repeated on its base. The history of the firm is well presented at: http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Engineering/Evans/evans20.htm. |
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| James
Ferguson, Circular Rd, Downpatrick. |
"J. FERGUSON DOWNPATRICK" seen on a pump at Seaforde, Co. Down. 1901 and 1910 street directories include James Ferguson, plumber, Circular Rd., Downpatrick. | |
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| J.
Fletcher, Plumber, Yate. |
Seen on a pump at St. Lawrence's Well, Didmarton, Glos. | ![]() |
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| Fletcher Bros, Park St., Pickering |
Seen on a large metal drum next to a pump in West Lutton, N. Yorks. I'm told that the Fletcher Bros had a foundry in Park St., Pickering. Trade directories for the town show a William Fletcher, whitesmith, in 1834, and William Fletcher, blacksmith, in 1840. By 1890 an M. Fletcher was recorded as a blacksmith in the Old Cattle Market, and a John Fletcher was a blacksmith in Park St. The Beck Isle Museum has a photograph of blacksmith brothers Matt and Harold Fletcher outside their blacksmith's shop in Park Street. | ![]() |
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| Fowler
& Co, Lambeth. |
Reportedly the suppliers of a series of 14 pumps along a section of the old Bath Rd from London, of which two still survive at Poyle and Longford. Can't find out much about this company, although there's a painting of Lambeth dated 1836 which includes Fowler's Iron Works. | ||
| Freeman
Roe, Engineers, 70, Strand, London. |
Seen on an impressive pump at Hexton, Herts. Freeman Roe was a large company, with interests stretching far beyond pumps. When the Electric Telegraph Company developed its first underground circuits in London in 1847, Freeman Roe, "a well-known and large-scale plumbing engineer used to laying iron piping", was contracted to lay all the subterranean cables in London. They exhibited rams and steam engines at the Great Exhibition in 1851, and in 1853 obtained a patent for the invention of " improvements in paving roads and streets." | ![]() |
| Thomas
Freethy, Acton, Middx. |
In 1819 Thomas Freethy, carpenter and builder of Acton, made the pump which formerly sat in the High St but today has been renovated and re-located to The Mount. Records reflect his purchasing of land in Acton in 1818, but by 1823 he was bankrupt. | ![]() |
| Richard
Fuller, Newick. |
In 1897 he donated the substantial stone pump, still working, at Newick, East Sussex. | |
| Garrett
& Son, Leiston, Saxmundham, Suffolk. |
Makers of pumps in Aldeburgh and Saxmundham, Suffolk. The Richard Garrett Works at Leiston built steam tractors and traction engines, various cast metal products, and ammunition for World Wars I & II. There's a museum in Leiston dedicated to the history of the company. | ![]() ![]() |
| Garton & Jarvis, Exeter. |
On a pump in Chittlehampton, and also in Exeter, Devon. An 1850
trade directory lists them as ironmongers, machine makers, iron and brass
founders and "hot water apparatus mfs. to her Majesty" at 190, High St.,
Exeter. There's lots of information on this company at: http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/ |
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| A. Gibson. | Seen embossed on a wooden-boxed lead pump offered for sale over the Internet. | |
| Glenfield & Kennedy, Kilmarnock. | Prolific manufacturers of ornamental ironwork & fountains, drinking fountains, taps, and the occasional pump. See: http://www.scottishironwork.org/. Their products usually carried their name and often featured a lion's head. | |
| Godwin Pumps Ltd. Quenington, Cirencester, Glos. |
"Godwin Quenington Glos." found on an old pump in Hutton, Scottish Borders, and another identical one at Coton, Cambs. A flywheel pump at West Wratting carries the name on its counterweight. The company was founded in the late 19th Century and is now international, Godwins UK being a division of Godwin Pumps of America, Inc. Their founder was Harold Joynes Godwin, who established the business to provide windmills and deep well water pumps to local customers, and subsequently took out a number of patents. | |
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| J. J.
Gosling, Engineer, Ipswich. |
Found on a pump in Pakenham, Suffolk. John J. Gosling had a business in Ipswich producing stationary engines and deep well pumps. Latterly, there was a firm going by the name of John D. Gosling & Co, General Water Engineers, at St. Johns Works, Ipswich, and today in Ipswich there exists a W. G. Gosling & Sons, Precision Engineers Ltd. | ![]() |
| A.
Grainger, Comber, NI. |
"A. GRAINGER COMBER" found on a pump in Derrachrin, Co. Antrim. No further information. | |
| Gunton,
Sons & Dyball, 30-42, St. George St., Norwich |
Seen on a pump at Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambs. The company traded as wholesale ironmongers, and I've found records dating from 1895. In 1912 their address was given as 34 & 36 St. Geoge St. and they were also described at "importers of horticultural glass". In 1942 their premises were recorded as being hit during an air raid. | ![]() |
| HB | Seen on a very rusty pump in the Tidal Mill, at Carew, Pembs. Within the "B" are the probable numbers 6 and 5. Could this be Herbert Bale of Kidderminster? (See above.) | ![]() |
| J. & F. Hall Ltd, Worcester. |
Found on a pump on the Cowleigh Rd, just outside Malvern, and on two pumps in Clevelode, Worcs. J & F Hall was a well-known Worcester "ironmongers, iron merchants, and iron founders", whose 16th Century timber-framed premises at the junction of The Shambles and Church St were demolished in the 1960s, to be replaced by a hideous monstrosity. | ![]() |
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| Halsted
& Sons, Chichester, W. Sussex. |
On a pump at Slindon and at Chichester, W. Sussex. According to an 1851 Post Office Directory for Chichester, Halsted & Sons were "ironmongers, iron & brass founders, plumbers, smiths &c. East St". In 1867 they were mentioned in Kelly's Directory as "Halsted & Sons, furnishing ironmongers, East street", and in 1909 as Halstead [sic] & Sons, ironmongers, 81 & 82 East St & East Pallant. They were established in the 1840s, and there's a document which records that in 1841, Charles Halsted, ironmonger, plumber and glazier of Chichester took out a "LEASE for 21 years of a dwelling house and shop on the south side of the East Street, partly in the parish of St. Peter the Great otherwise the Subdeanery and partly in the parish of All Saints otherwise the Pallant, in the city of Chichester". But the ironmongery connection might go back further than this: it's reported that "The first Goodwood winner, at the meet organised by the local Charlton Hunt and the Sussex Militia, was a black mare owned by local ironmonger Mr Halsted" - and that seems to have been in 1801/1802. The business started to decline in the 1930s, eventually closing down in 1936, on the death of the last remaining sons. More on the Sussex Industrial History Archive's website (large .pdf file). | ![]() |
| T.
Haughey, Bridge St, Banbridge. |
"T. HAUGHEY BANBRIDGE" Seen on a pump at Ballynahinch, Co.Down. A 1910 Banbridge directory lists "Haughey, T., plumber and gasfitter, Bridge street". | ![]() |
| Hayward
Tyler and Co, 90&92, Upper Whitecross St, London EC. |
"Hayward
Tyler and Co, London" seen on a flywheel and crank pump at Reepham, Norfolk.The
company was established in 1815 and is still in existence, having its head
office in Luton. "Hayward Tyler & Co, Engineers, London" seen on a pump at Findon, W. Sussex, and "Hayward-Tyler & Co Ltd Engineers London" on a pump at Lidgate, Suffolk. |
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| Hedges
Foundry, Bucklebury, Berks. |
Reportedly the manufacturer of two pumps in Holybrook Parish, Berks, and possibly also one at Charvil, Wokingham. Hedges was a local foundry, located on the banks of the River Pang, existing from the 18th century. In 1947 the firm was taken over by the Whatley brothers, who continued in business until about 1960. |
| W. Hemming, Burford. |
Seen on a pump in Great Barrington, Glos. William Hemming of Burford was in business from 1840, advertising himself as "Engineer and Ironmonger, Pumps and Water works of every description". He supplied a wide range of pumping machinery across Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. The 3rd image down was found on the back of a pump in Holwell, Oxon, a village very close to Burford. | |
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| Herring
Foundry, Chertsey. |
Seen on a cast iron pump trough in Chobham, Surrey. The company was established about 1815 at Gogmore Lane, Chertsey, establishing a good reputation both in the UK and abroad, and closed down in 1982. | ![]() |
| N.
Holman & Sons St. Just and Market Jew Street, Penzance. |
"Holman & Sons, Penzance" seen on a pump at Trequite, near St. Kew, Cornwall. Nicholas Holman (1777- 1862) formed a company with his four sons in 1801. They expanded into Penzance in 1840, became a limited company in 1894, and in 1911 they were recorded as being mining, shipping and general engineers specialising in Cornish ranges, mitre machines, engines and boilers for mines, mine castings and general mining material. Holman Brothers was employing 2,500 staff by 1961, and also operated as N. Holman & Sons (Ship Repairers) Ltd., but it looks like the company was finally wound up in 2011. | ![]() |
| Holrond. | Indistinct
name seen on a pump in Little Barrington, Gloucestershire. |
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| W.
Home, Shrewsbury. |
Reportedly the manufacturer of a pump in Downton, Shrops. | |
| Hutchings, Plumber, Ilminster |
Found on a pump in Stocklinch, Soms and reportedly also on one in Ilton, Soms. Hutchings and Sons were apparently an old established plumbing firm in the Ilminster area which ceased trading in about the 1990s. | ![]() |
| Ideal | Seen on a stopcock fitted to a lift & force pump in Coleshill, Oxon. No further info. | ![]() |
| G.
Ingold, Bishop's Stortford. |
There are
numerous pumps in Essex carrying this name - e.g., at Chrishall (5 pumps),
Sheering (4), Matching (2), Great Canfield, Ridgewell, Widdington, and Brewer's
End, Takeley. There's a clutch of them at Pampisford, Essex, and I've found one
in Owlswick, Bucks. The very distinctive spout carried by some Ingold models
also points towards pumps at Braughing, Herts, and Epping Green, Essex, being
made by Ingold's. G. Ingold, Pump Makers and Well Sinkers, had their workshop in Apton Road in Bishop's Stortford. The business was started by a J. Ingold in 1851 and upon his death it was carried on by George Ingold. |
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| H. Inston. | Said to be
on a pump at Redditch. An 1818 Trade Directory lists William Inston, Pump Mkr, Lichfield St, Birmingham. |
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| Jiangyan Fashion
Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., China |
Current producers of a range of pumps, one of
which is their "Big Nostalgic", recognisable by a frog embellishment on the
spout, and also offered for sale by Kovoplast, of the Czech Republic. Jiangyang
pumps carry the model numbers BSA-75, BSB-75, BSC-75, BSD, BSF, BSL, BSK, BSM
or GBS-86. See also "HP75", under Unknowns, below. |
|
| Kaiser &
Kuehne |
A company in Germany which specialises in creative play equipment, and who have supplied a modern water pump to Durley Chine paddling pool, Bournemouth. | |
| C.
Keeley, Plumber, Harleston. |
Reported
on a lead pump offered for sale on the Internet. Charles Keeley advertised himself as "New and Secondhand Furnisher, Plumber and Decorator" and traded in the Old Market Place, Harleston, Norfolk. |
|
| W.
Kinsman, Launceston[?] |
Reportedly on a lead pump at a Launceston museum. The "W.Kinsman" is clear but only the first two letters "LA" can be made out below it. A William Kinsman was a plumber's apprentice in South Petherwin - very near Launceston - in 1891. | ![]() |
| Kovoplast, Czech Republic |
The
Kovoplast Company of the Czech
Republic currently make a number of pumps, including one marked NP75, and
others marked STANDARD T or STANDARD II. Their older pumps also include a
trident trademark, but this seems nowadays to be reserved solely for the Sigma
group - see below. A old STANDARD T pump found in Exton, Devon, carries the
trident mark, but also includes the additional markings ON112230 and 97485.
Just to confuse things even further, the company seems to produce (or
distribute?) a so-called "Big Nostalgic" pump apparently identical to that made
by the Jiangyan Fashion Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., China (see above).
Some evidence to suggest that their pump handles can carry a discrete "C"
marking. |More| See also "HP75", under Unknowns, below. |
|
| Chas Lack & Sons Ltd, Engineers, Cottenham Cambs |
Seen on pumps in Bassingbourn and Whittlesford, Cambs. Charles Lack and Sons were agricultural engineers (pumps, boilers, etc) and well-sinkers. They were in business from about 1875 to no later than 1978. | ![]() |
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| Le
Grand & Sutcliff, Bunhill Row, London EC. |
Found on a pump at Langport, Soms, dated 1878. They were established in 1872 at 100 Bunhill Row, London, became a private company in 1920 and a public company in 1948. In 1961 they are recorded as "Civil engineers, well drillers, undertaking manufacture of specialised equipment for oil industry, such as pumping units, casing heads and other well head equipment". In 1889 an advertisement showed that they also had a Westminster branch at 7, Great Queen St., SW. Latterly known at Le Grand, Sutcliff & Gell. | ![]() |
| Lambeth Brass & Iron Co. | ||
| T.
Leake, Plummer [sic]. |
Reported on a pump in Wymeswold, Leics. Good name for a plumber! |
| Lee, Howl & Co. | Lee, Howl, Ward & Howl was established in
Tipton, Staffs, in 1880, and from this emerged in 1887 the firm of Lee, Howl
& Co. Examples can be found all over the country, second only in number to
Joseph Evans pumps. There is a persistent rumour that back in the early days
Joseph Evans's chief designer apparently defected to Lee Howl, and from this
time onwards some of their pumps bore a striking similarity to those of Joseph
Evans. An article in "Old Glory" magazine of March 1994 provided confirmation
that Lee Howl pumps carried a flag trademark (to copy the lion would have added
insult to injury). Click on this link to check out
other ways of telling the two makes apart. (See also the entry for Paragon, below.) |
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| Lion
Foundry, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow |
Name found on a pump in Covington, South Lanarkshire. This famous company was in direct competition with Macfarlane's (see below), and a detailed history and record of their products can be found at the Scottish Ironwork Foundation's website. | ![]() |
| Llewellins & James, Bristol. |
(a) Name present on pumps at Alveston, Olveston, and Ham, Glos;
Ilminster, Soms. (b) Seen on a pump at Tintinhull House, Soms, and (highly corroded) at Upper Castle Coombe, Wilts. Also noted stamped on the brass spout of a lead pump in St. Martin, Guernsey. Llewellins & James were well-known bell founders, but were also described as being "brewery engineers" and makers of "philosophical instruments" - i.e., mathematical. Some advertising literature from about 1860-1870 gives their address as Castle Green, Bristol, and offers lifting pumps, ship or rum pumps, jack pumps, garden engines, copper brewers' pumps, etc. |
a.
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b.
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| Lott
& Walne Ltd, The Foundry, Dorchester |
Lott & Walne were described as engineers, ironfounders and agricultural implement manufacturers. They traded at least over the period 1899-1955, and a building carrying their name is still standing in Dorchester. A 1909 catalogue lists their liquid manure and water carts with detachable pumps, including a "Strong 4in improved type detachable lift pump" at £3-0-0, and a "Strong 4in detachable lift and force pump" at £5-0-0. Their name appears on pumps in (a.) Piddlehinton and (b.) Melcombe Bingham, Dorset. | a.
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| Walter Macfarlane & Co., Saracen Foundry, Glasgow. |
Macfarlane's was by the 1890s the biggest manufacturer of sanitary & architectural ironwork in Britain - possibly even in the world. They were famed for their ornate fountains, which they sold as far afield as Australia - and for a detailed history of the company and record of their products see: http://www.scottishironwork.org/database.asp. Only a very few examples of their basic village pumps seem to have survived, but there's a splendid municipal pump in Caistor, Lincs. | ![]() |
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| Mackney
& Admonds, Delf St., Sandwich |
Makers of a pump at the junction of Delf St/King St/Market St, in Sandwich, Kent. Melville's 1858 Directory of Kent lists them as "millwrights, smiths, ironmongers, etc., Delf street". | ![]() |
| Edward
Margrett, Reading. |
"E. Margrett, Reading" reported on a pump in Hambleden, Bucks. Edward Margrett was an ironmonger in Reading by 1871. By 1892 he described himself as a hydraulic and sanitary engineer, and is recorded as having dug an artesian well in Aldermaston in 1896. | |
| Maric
Fabrications, Kidderminster. |
"1999 MARIC FABS" found on a pump at Stoke Prior, Herefs. Maric Fabrications is a company in Kidderminster, and the pump has the look of a modern replica. | |
| Martin | "MARTIN" and "FOREIGN" seen on a pump in Hellingly, E. Sussex. | ![]() |
| C.P.Martin, Engineer, Harpenden |
Seen on a flywheel & crank pump at Newnham, Herts. | ![]() |
| Matterson, Huxley & Watson Ltd, Lion Foundry, Coventry |
Catalogue found at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum library by Alison Muir - thanks, Alison. The company also had a London office and showroom at 57/60, Holborn Viaduct, EC1. Elsewhere they appear listed as a private company in 1890, and in 1912 appear as "Iron, Brass and Aluminium Founders and suppliers of Castings for Motors". By 1961 they are "Ironmongers and structural engineers specialising in agricultural machinery, hardware and tools". Among a small range of pumps they advertised their "Matto" Double Acting Plunger Pump. | |
| H. H.
McErlean, Knockloughrim. |
Name seen on a pump installed at a garden centre in Weston, Lincs. I can find no references to the company and wonder if it's a Chinese copy - see McManus & Sons, below. | ![]() |
| A.
McKenzie, Lisburn. |
Seen on a pump at Carricknadarriff, near Annahilt, Co. Down. | |
| H.
McManus & Sons, Randalstown. |
Seen on a cowtail pump at Lisburn, NI. This company has been in existence since the late 1800s and is still trading as McManus Hardware, 1-3, Main St., Randalstown. | |
| H.
McManus & Sons, Ballymena. |
Name seen on a probable Chinese replica Irish cowtail pump at a country show. See also Rankin, John McNiece and Tianjin Shirun International Trade Co., Ltd., below. | |
| John McNiece, 53, Mill St, Ballymena |
"McNiece, Ballymena" reported on a pump in Burlington, Ontario, which in 1902 was on a farm near Ballymena. This is good evidence that it's an original, and not a Chinese copy. The 1907 and 1910 Belfast/Ulster Street Directories list "McNeice, John, cycle agent, registered plumber and sanitary engineer, Factor of Close Ranges, Tiled Grates, etc., 53 Mill Street". | |
| Thos
Meredith, Malvern. |
Seen on a pump at the Rose & Crown, Redmarley, Glos, and one for sale on the Internet carried the name "Meredith Malvern". | |
| Meynell
& Inman, Montrose St., Wolverhampton. (In 1884 became James Meynell & Son, Little's Lane, Wolverhampton.) |
Manufacturers
of Lift and Force Pumps. See: http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/ Engineering/meynellvalves/meynell01.htm |
|
| Middleton, Westminster. |
Seen on a pump in Coleshill, Oxon, with a possible obscured date of "188x". Can't find out anything about this company yet, although there was a Westminster Foundry. | ![]() |
| R. R.
Miles, Leominster Foundry, 42, West St., Leominster Also R.R. & H. Miles and H. Miles |
"R.R.MILES" and "LEOMINSTER" found on a pump at Bircher, Herefs.
"R.R.& W.MILES" and "LEOMINSTER" seen on a pump at Newborough, Staffs. "H.
MILES" and "LEOMINSTER" seen on a pump in St. Michael's, Worcs. Littlebury's Directory and Gazetteer of Herefordshire, 1876-7, has the following entry: MILES RICHARD REES, general brass and iron founder, millwright, machinist, engineer, and maker and dealer in agricultural implements, Leominster foundry, 42 West Street (see advertisement page 9). Kelly's Directory of Herefordshire, 1879 includes: Miles Rd. Rees, millwright, Leominster foundry, 42 West Street I've been told by a descendant of Richard (thanks, Catherine) that he had a foundry in Leominster from 1861 with his brother William. Later his son, Henry, took it over before it was sold to an electricity company at the start of the 20th century. |
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| Millfield Foundry, Belfast |
Reported on a pump at Dromore, Co. Down. Messrs. James Moore and Sons, Millfield Foundry, Belfast, are listed in Belfast street directories from 1877; in 1901 they appear as "Moore, Jas., & Sons Ltd., Millfield Foundry and engineering works, 102 to 116 Millfield"; but in 1907 & 1910 the entries read "Millfield Foundry (Successors to Jas. Moore & Sons Ltd.), Foundry and Engineering Works, 102 to 116 Millfield". | |
| A. G.
Mumford, Culvert St Iron Works, Colchester |
"Engineer, Iron and Brass Founder and Boilermaker", who made deep well pumps. Found in an old catalogue. | |
| Norton
Hamar, Tywyn |
Seen on a large Joseph Evans pump in Bryncrug, Gwynedd, is therefore likely to be the name of the installer. No history of the firm found, but Norton Hamar was born in Bishops Castle c.1877 and his son Eric was born in Towyn (as it was spelt then) in 1909. | ![]() |
| Newman
Hender & Co, Woodchester, Stroud, Glos |
The
trademark "NH" can be found on semi-rotaries at Theescombe and Pinfarthings, in
the Nailsworth/Amberley area of Glos. One carries the inscription
"No1", and the other "No4", which commonly
on such pumps refer to the bore size. Another at Birdlip, Glos, is a
No6, and there's a further semi-rotary at Thwaite's Mill,
Stourton, W. Yorks. Also found on a very small portable semi-rotary fitted to a
monopod at a Steam Fair in Cheltenham, Glos, in 2009. Newman Hender & Co was formed in 1896, when Hender Stevenson & Co of Nailsworth merged with Newman & Co, of Woodchester. They became one of the UK's leading manufacturers of industrial valves, expanding significantly in the 1960s and 1970s, when they supplied valves for the North Sea oil and gas industry, and were the largest employer in the area. However, they were eventually bought out, and the site was closed in 1994. A very detailed company history can be found at http://www.gsia.org.uk/reprints/1994/gi199411.pdf. |
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| G. C.
Ogle & Sons Ltd, Perseverance Works, Ripley, Derby |
"G. C. Ogle[...] Ripley, Derby" seen on a chain pump on a farm at Newhaven, Derbs. The company advertised themselves as manufacturers of rollers, harrows and drags, and also produced two-stroke petrol engines pre-/post-First World War. George Clarke Ogle (1826-1908). The company still trades today, as Hydraulics UK Ltd, Victoria Road, Ripley. | ![]() |
| Ohio | This name found on a small barrel pump in Wouldham, Kent, with what might be a "4" just below it. There is an Ohio Pump Co in Salem, Ohio, USA - but no evidence of any link. | ![]() |
| S. Owens & Co, Hydraulic and General Engineers, Whitefriars St, Fleet St, London EC |
The company was previously known as Clinton and
Owens - see above. "S. Owens & Co, Engineer, London" features on two pumps at Quainton, Bucks, one at East Challow, Oxon, and one in Rye, E. Sussex. Another, near Warwick, reads "Owens & Co., Engineers, Whitefriars St., London". Another pump is reported in Horningsham, Wilts, to have the maker's name "Owen & Son, Engineers, London". Their catalogues show that they made an enormous range of "Pumps, Fire Engines, Garden Engines, Sluice Valves, Hydrants &c". There's a reference to Messrs. S. Owens & Co's engineering works at Arlesey, Beds, and to Owen's Pump Works closing there in 1925, but it's not clear whether this is the same company. The very impressive pumps at Hampton Court, Esher, Stalbridge, Cranfield, Brastead, Ickenham and Ipplepen have now been confirmed to be made by Owens. |
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| Parry | Seen on pumps in Woodbridge and Pakenham, Suffolk and, reportedly, present on one in Ardleigh, Essex. No further clues as to this firm, although one pump also carries the words "British Make" | ![]() |
| Paragon | The name "PARAGON" has been noted on a small but growing number of
pumps dotted around the country. It is usually accompanied by typical Lee Howl
markings such as a flag - very similar but not identical to the traditional Lee
Howl flag - and their bold statement "All British Made". The image opposite
shows the name and flag very clearly on a
small lift pump in
Hertfordshire which has been renovated. Other locations include Borde Hill
Gardens, nr Haywards Heath, W. Sussex; Ferring, W. Sussex; Gluttons Bridge,
Derbs; and St. Piran's Well, Trethevy, near Tintagel, Cornwall. Furthermore
there's an old paraffin/petrol pump in Llanychaer, Pembs, at the heart of which
is "The Paragon No 4 Semi-Rotary Pump". After much research, I've discovered some company records held by a Stafford library (yet to inspect them) but it now seems certain that the name was adopted by Lee Howl at some stage, and was still in use in the late 1930s. |
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| T. Paskin | See D. Williams, Dudley, below. | |
| Petter
& Edgar, Yeovil |
Found on pumps in Tintinhull and East Coker, Soms. John Bazeley Petter had an ironmonger's business in Yeovil in 1865, and went into partnership with Henry F. Edgar a few years later to produce an expanded range of ironmongery, agricultural implements and machinery, including the "Nautilus" grate that was installed in Balmoral and Osborne House. Henry Edgar died in 1886, but Petter went on to develop oil engines which by 1912 were being widely exported. He established the Westland Foundry in 1914, which developed ultimately into Westland Aircraft. Read more at http://www.yeovilvision.co.uk/data/57.htm. | ![]() |
| Phillips & Hopwood, Engine Makers. | Built the Exchange Pump, Cornhill, London. Samuel Phillips was making fire engines by 1760; in 1797 the firm became Phillips & Hopwood; in 1811 it was James Hopwood; by 1818 it was Hopwood & Tilley; by 1825 Tilley & Co; and around 1853 Shand, Mason & Co. Merryweather & Sons Ltd took them over in 1928. | |
| Thomas
Pickering and Sons, Iron Founders, Market Place, Driffield, East Yorkshire |
"T. Pickering & Sons, Driffield" seen on a pump offered for sale over the Internet. Evidence points to their being in existence from about 1864. | ![]() |
| W.
Pope, Topsham, Devon. |
Nameplate seen on a pump in Topsham, Devon. White's Devonshire Directory of 1850 lists Wm. H. Pope under "Painters, Plumbers and Glaziers". (And the Universal British Directory of Trade, Commerce & Manufacture published c.1794 has a Simon Pope, plumber & glazier, listed as a resident of Topsham.) | |
| Pompes
Corneau, Deville, Charleville, France. |
An unusual immigrant. Seen on a Model 33 pump in Shere, Surrey, and another in some gardens opened to the public in Ferring, W. Sussex. Also found a Model 32 made by the same company offered for sale on French e-Bay. | ![]() |
| J.
Portnell, Wincanton. |
Their name appears on a Bamford's pump in North Cheriton, Soms. | ![]() |
| Colin
Pullinger, Selsey, West Sussex. |
A commemorative plaque records him (1814-94) as: "Undertaker, wooden pump maker, repairer of umbrellas, letter writer and clerk to the Selsey Sparrow Club". | |
| Trademark currently used by the Puteus Company of Tönisvorst Germany. | Seen on small pumps all over England and Wales, some of which are new but some undoubtedly old, and I've not yet got to the bottom of the German connection. See also the "N" logo used by the Chinese company Tianjin Shirun International Trade Co., Ltd on practically identical pumps. | ![]() |
| Rankin
& Co., 4, Linenhall St., Ballymena. |
"Rankin & Co., Ballymena" seen on a cow-tail pump for sale at a country fair, but vendor thought it was a modern copy. Further obviously modern copies have turned up in other locations. However, various Belfast/Ulster street directories for 1902-1916 list "Rankin & Co., plumbers, 4 Linenhall street, Ballymena" or "Charles Rankin" - but the name doesn't appear in 1918. | |
| Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries, Agricultural Engineers, Ipswich. |
"Ransomes" or "Ransome & Sims" reported on pumps in Ridgewell, Essex, and in Somerlayton and Monks Eleigh, Suffolk. A book has been written by Brian Bell about this company - ISBN 1-903366-15-1. | |
| RC | Found on a pump in Borth, Ceredigion, at an auction at Welland, Worcs, and on a very smart brass pump in private hands. Currently unknown manufacturer, although another "RC" pump (with a "3" on the barrel) was included in a job lot of European (i.e., non-British) pumps offered for sale by a Belgian dealer at an agricultural show in Malvern, Worcs. | ![]() |
| R &
J Reeves, Bratton Ironworks, Bratton, Wilts. |
"Bratton Reeves" is to be found on a chain pump at Barrington Court, a National Trust property nr Ilminster, Somerset. The firm was well-established by the mid-1800s, and surviving catalogues show a wide range of products. They were major employers in the village until business declined and they finally closed in 1970/73. More information available at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=27 and http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=102813. | |
| John
Richmond and Son, Chelmsford. |
"Richmond and Son Engineers, Chelmsford" reported on a large roadside pump in Southminster, Essex. | |
| Richter
Spielgeräte GmbH, Frasdorf, Germany. |
Seen on a modern hand pumps at the Falkirk Wheel, Falkirk, and also at a park in Coventry.They also market their products under the name "unitedplay". | ![]() |
| Riddels
Ltd, Belfast. |
"RIDDELS LIMITED BELFAST" seen on a pump at Ballymacricket, Co. Antrim. An 1877 trade directory lists a Riddel & Co., furnishing and manufacturing iron mongers, at 49 Donegall Place, Belfast. John Riddel & Son of Lisburn today describe themselves as wholesale hardware merchants, established in 1803. Is this the same company? | |
| E &
H Roberts, Britannia Ironworks, Deanshanger. |
For 100 years the Roberts Iron Foundry of
Deanshanger (Britannia Ironworks) were very successful agricultural implement
makers and engineers, but they finally went into liquidation in 1927. Their
neat and distinctive water pillars can be found in a number of places, but an
example of a pump made by the company has so far eluded me - and others. More
information at:
http://clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/deanshanger99/pages/ intro.html and http://clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/deanshanger99/pages/ rob_hist.html and http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/mkm/roberts.html |
| James
Aston Roden, Underhill St Bridgnorth. |
"J Aston Roden, Maker, Bridgnorth" found on a pump in Oldfield, Shrops. James Roden was established as an iron and brass founder in Underhill St, Bridgnorth, by 1861. His partnership with Henry Knott was dissolved in 1865, and the firm continued in light engineering under his son, James Aston Roden, until around 1926. | ![]() |
| W.
Rowe, Yeovil. |
Reported on a pump at Long Sutton, Soms. | |
| Root, Ipswich |
Seen on a pump at Tattingstone White Horse, Suffolk. William Root, plumber of Ipswich, was in business at least over the period 1871-1889, and at one stage employed 13 men and 5 boys. | ![]() |
| Runwell | See Ashwell & Nesbit, above. | ![]() |
| The
Safety Water Elevator Company, Dunstable. |
Found on a pump in Grittleton, Wilts, and St.
James South Elmham, Suffolk; apparently there's one at Cockayne Hatley, Beds,
as well. The Safety Water Elevator Co had offices and showrooms at 104,
Leadenhall St., London, but their factory was in Dunstable, Beds. In 1905 they
advertised the "Simple, strong, but ingenious Jonet's Patent" pump as being
suitable for wells 10-1000 ft deep, and for a price of £10. It's not
actually a pump, and works on the principle of buckets on a chain, operated by
a handle.See:
http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/52110/water-elevator-advertisment-1905/. The Dunstable and District Local History Society has researched these devices and provided me with a detailed explanation of how they work. Thanks! |
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| William
Shalders, Hydraulic Engineer, Bank Plain, Redwell St., Norwich. |
The makers of Shalders' Patent Fountain Pump, examples of which are to be found in Norwich, Cringleford, Hethersett and Wymondham, Norfolk. Advertisements for these and other pumps produced by the company appeared in Whites 1845 Directory and Gazetteer of Norfolk, Hunt & Co's 1850 Directory of E. Norfolk & parts of Suffolk, and Kellys 1853 Directory for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The company also exhibited at the Great Exhibition. | ![]() |
| Shijiazhuang Dingxin Metal Products Co.,
Ltd, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China |
This company advertises itself as the manufacturer of various modern cast iron pumps appearing around the UK today. No evidence of any trademark. | |
| Sigma Group, Czech Republic. |
The trident seen on an NP75 pump in the old greenhouse at Whitland
Abbey, Carms, is the trademark of the
Sigma Group, of the Czech
Republic, who currently make a wide range of modern electrically operated
pumps. Their web site confirms that they've been around since 1868. But how did
this pump find its way to Whitland Abbey? Also seen on a pump in Levens,
Cumbria. An otherwise identical pump, marked "NP75", but without the trident, is still made by the Kovoplast Company of the Czech Republic, see separate entry. An NP-75 at Heversham, Cumbs, sports a trident and "ON 112220", and an NP-90 has turned up in private hands in Spratton, Northants, also with this number. Just to confuse things further, "ON 112220" also appears on a Kovoplast Standard T pump in Exton, Devon. |More| See also "HP75", under Unknowns, below. |
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| Sigmund | Seen on a semi-rotary at Hilton, Dorset. A subsidiary of Sigma, set up in the UK in 1935 (See "Sigma/More") above. | |
| George
Smith & Co, Sun Foundry, Glasgow. |
Name found on a large cast iron pump in St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The company was founded in 1858 and was one of the leading Scottish firms in producing decorative ironwork, their range including ornamental fountains, bandstands, gates and railings. They grew quickly, moving to larger premises in 1875, although after a further move they closed down in 1899. Read much more at http://www.scottishironwork.org/georgesmith.htm. | ![]() |
| J.
Smith, Whitchurch. |
Reportedly the manufacturer of a pump in Prees, Shrops. | |
| W. H.
Smith, Whitchurch. |
Reportedly the makers of a pump in Bickley, Shropshire. | |
| Smith & Watson Ltd, Ironmongery Stores, Ross. |
Nameplate found on a contractor's pump in private hands in Ross-on-Wye. The hedgehog image is one that has long been associated with Ross-on-Wye, but I can find no further information on the company. It remains likely that the pump was made by another manufacturer, such as Davies Bros of Wolverhampton, or Appleby's of Renishaw. Joseph Evans made them too, but they usually managed to include their Lion trademark somewhere on the pump. | ![]() |
| Sollory, Nottingham. |
"SOLLORY", "Plummers" [sic] and a date - 1826 - found on a lead pump at Wollaton Hall, Notts. Further research shows an entry for "Sollory John, Plumber & Glazier, Bridlesmith Gate" in Hodson's 1814 Directory for Nottingham. "Henry Sollary [sic] & Son, plumbers, glaziers, gas, bar & steam fitters, brass founders" appear in various directories for Mount St, Nottingham, in 1876, 1885 and 1891, and in St. James St in 1915. A James Sollory, plumber, is listed in the 1881 Census for Nottingham. | ![]() |
| W.
Sparrow, Martock. |
Found on a pump at Montacute House, Soms. William Sparrow (b. 1836) established the Somerset Wheel and Wagon Works in 1868 and by 1871 the company is recorded as employing 38 staff. Entries in Kelly's Directory continued until 1875 ("William Sparrow, Engineer, millwright, Brass and Iron founder, agricultural implement maker, and all kinds of iron and wood wheels, Somerset Wheel and Wagon Works.") but in 1876 he apparently sold the company. He must have continued in business and by the time of WWI William Sparrow was employing 80-100 men. Records show that the company produced almost 7000 artillery wheels, 800 howitzer wheels, 250 steel bomb carriages and over three quarters of a million tent pegs. Today there's still a William Sparrow Ltd operating from Sparrow Works, Bower Hinton, Martock. |
| Stevenson & Turner Ltd, 63, Pilot St, Belfast. Later of 1-17 West St, Belfast. . |
Belfast street directories of 1901 and 1910 describe them as "lead and composition pipe manufacturers, and general plumbers' furnishers, metal merchants". The firm isn't mentioned in the 1880 directory, although Stevenson name do appear as foundry or metal workers. The standard pumps in their catalogue are mainly those of Lee Howl, but they also advertise "Belfast" pattern pumps (offering to include the customer's name around the pump head).and double-wheeled deep well pumps. Both types are widely seen in Ireland but hardly ever in GB. | |
| Stock Sons & Taylors Ltd, Birmingham |
Seen on a pump in Raglan, Mon; Alstone, Glos; and on a pump that was originally in an old house in Herefordshire. The company also made sanitary ware, and were located in Berkley Street, Birmingham. | ![]() |
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| Alfred
Syer Ltd., 14, Pentonville Rd London N1 |
"A.Syer, [obscured word which might just be Pentonville Rd], London" seen on a pump in Great Walsingham, Norfolk, and - very clearly - also on a pump in Osmington, Dorset. The company made coal hole covers, many examples of which can still be found in London. | ![]() ![]() |
| Terpo | There's a pump carrying this logo in private hands in Harpenden, Herts, and another in Shelfanger, Norfolk. I can find nothing so far on its maker. | ![]() |
| Thomas & Son, Worcester. |
This name is on pumps in Leigh Sinton and Ripple, Worcs. The firm was well known for its Climax range of windmills and pumps, and the name "Climax" can be found on a small number of pumps in Norfolk, Suffolk, Shrops, Cornwall and Yorks, and also on a tap attached to a Joseph Evans pump at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk. | ![]() |
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| Thomas
& Wilks, Kidderminster. |
"Thomas & Wilks Kiddr" seen on a pump in The Grove at Ryall, Worcs, and on a renovated pump in Beverley, E. Yorks. All I can find is that they were pump makers and plumbers, and that accounts for the years 1891-1905 still exist. Nearby, in Ripple, Worcs, a pump displays the name "J. Thomas Kiddr", and I don't yet know if this is the same company or a different one. | |
| Thompson & xxx. | Seen on the enormous pump in Bedford Row, Holborn, London. Rest of inscription obscured by layers of paint. Another pump in Queen Square, London, clearly made by the same company, but no name present. | |
| Tianjin
Shirun International Trade Co., Ltd. China. |
Exporters of various replica pumps, including a typical Irish cow tail pump such as the one at Wick, S. Glos. (See H. McManus & Sons, Ballymena, above.) They also advertise a pump with an "N" logo within a hexagon, and these trademarks can be found on pumps in Tewkesbury, Glos, and Charlestown, Cornwall. Suspiciously identical to "P" pumps (see Puteus, above). | |
| Trahern Geo.D. Roper Corp Rockford ILL. USA |
Seen on a pump in a garden in Stanton, Suffolk, restored to working condition about 20 years ago. The Trahern Pump Company was established in Rockville, Illinois, in the 1860s, and bought up by Ropers in 1906. | ![]() |
| George
Turner, Iron Founder, 63, Dorset St, Fleet St, London. |
A tradeplate seen (right) on a pump in Lewisham (see opposite), and reportedly there's also a Turner pump in Hertford. The company is mentioned in "The Every-Day Book", written in 1825-26 by William Hone: "In 1821, the water for the fountain at Tottenham High Cross, represented in the engraving, was obtained by boring to a depth of one hundred and five feet, at the expense of the parish, for public accommodation. The water rises six feet above the surface, and flowing over a vase at the top of the column into a basin, as represented in the engraving, it pours from beneath. The boring for this spring and the fountain were suggested by Mr. Mathew, who first obtained water in Tottenham, by that method, and introduced the practice there. The pillar was designed by Messrs. Mathew and Chaplin, and executed by Mr. Turner of Dorset-street, Fleet-street, the well known manufacturer of the cast iron pumps; and not to withhold from him any of "his blushing honours," be it noted that he was till lately a common-councilman of the ward of Farringdon Without, where he still maintains his reputation as a "cunning workman in iron," and his good name as a good pump-maker, and as a worthy and repectable man. Public spirit should rise to the height of giving him, and others of the worshipful company of pump-makers, more orders." | ![]() |
| (a) J.
Tylor and Sons, London. |More| (b) J. Tylor & Sons Engineers London (c) J. Tylor and Sons, Newgate St, London EC. (d) J. Tylor & Sons Engineers. 2 Newgate St., London (e) J. Tylor & Sons, Engineers, Warwick Lane, London. (f) J. Tylor & Sons Newgate Street, London (g) J. Tylor & Sons 2 Newgate Street London EC |
The
company was founded in 1778 by John Tylor (b. 1756), who was a Quaker. It
became J. Tylor and Sons Ltd in 1892, and in turn was renamed Tylors (Water
& Sanitary) Ltd in 1920 and Tylors of London Ltd in 1947. They initially
specialised in making tea urns, but by the end of the 19th Century had moved
into manufacturing a wide range of hydraulic and sanitary equipment, including
fire engines. They existed until 1974, when the company was sold and broken
up. (a) Seen on a pump in Woodbridge, Suffolk. (b) Seen on a pump at Ifield Mill, nr Crawley, W. Sussex (c) Reportedly on one in Pound St., Carshalton, Greater London. (d) Found on pumps in Calbourne and Newtown, Isle of Wight, and Bourton-on-the-Water, Glos. (e) Said to be on a pump in Steeple, Essex. (f) On a pump in private hands in Dorking, Surrey. (g) On a pump in Ferry Lane, Norwich. |
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| J. B.
Ulph, St. Ives |
Seen on a pump at Fen Drayton, Cambs. John Birt Ulph (1831-1906) was a St. Ives man. The 1861/71/81 censuses record him as being a partner in an ironmongery business, but by 1891 he was recorded as "ironmonger and valuer" - apparently a "metal trades valuer". In 1885 he took on a junior partner, Mr. F.T.Ruston, although his sons also worked in the family business at 25, Crown St., St. Ives. In latter years the business carried on as F.T.Ruston & Son. | ![]() |
| J.
Villiers, Well Engineer. Beverley. |
Seen on a pump at Aike, E. Yorks. J. Villiers appears in Bulmer's Directory of Beverley in 1892. | ![]() |
| J.
Wallace & Sons, Graham Sq Dennistoun Glasgow. Later at: 34, Paton St Glasgow |
"The
Wallace Chain Pump" and "J. Wallace & Sons Ltd, Dennistoun, Glasgow" seen
on a chain pump at Castleward, near Strangford, Co. Down. John Wallace &
Sons of Graham Square, Dennistoun, Glasgow, was founded in 1857 and in 1961 the
company was described as: "Manufacturers of agricultural machinery and
implements including elevator potato diggers, spinner potato diggers, grain
drills and turnip sowers" with 100 employees. A 1923 price list offers their
chain pumps for sale. |
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| James
Ward, (Worcester) Ltd. Engineers. |
Name plate on a pump in the yard of the Tudor Cafe, Friar St., Worcester. | ![]() |
| John Warner & Sons, Crescent Foundry, Cripplegate, London. | "Warners, London" seen on pump spouts in Baulking, Oxon; Brockham,
Surrey; Fulking and Mayfield, Sussex; Penally, Pembs, and other
locations. "Warners Patent London" appears on the handle of a pump that I've acquired, and "John Warner & Sons, London, Manufacturers appears on a pump at Amberley Working Museum, W. Sussex. Pumps at St.Lawrence, Isle of Wight; West Chiltington, Sussex; and Ixworth, Suffolk, carry the words "Warners London" on their caps, and one in Houghton, Cambs, carries the inscription "John Warner & Sons, Hydraulic Engineers, Crescent, Cripplegate, London". There's another Warners pump reportedly in Merriott, Soms. Elsewhere it's stated that they were a brass, iron and bell founder (and not just any old bell founder - in 1856 they cast the first Big Ben, which unfortunately cracked), making pumps, horse gears, garden furniture and ornaments and fire-fighting equipment at the Crescent Foundry, Cripplegate. Also given as Spitalfields. A lift & force pump at Shuttleworth House, Beds, has a complex maker's mark comprising a crescent moon with the initials "J.W&S" and "Crescent London" written within it, and next to it a bell motif and the word "Trademark". Clearly this relates to the same company, but it doesn't appear in any catalogue of theirs we can so far find. |
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| Robert
Warner & Co., Hall Lane, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. |
"R Warner & Sons Walton on the Naze" has been reported on a well pump. It turns out that the Warner family acquired land in Walton-on-the-Naze and there they established a second foundry - The Foundry Works - on Hall Lane. They exhibited 'a large variety of pumps' at the Royal Agricultural Show in York in 1900 and in 1911-1914 were apparently well known for their steam pumps. A catalogue from the era advertises "Windmills, wind-power pumping, irrigating, draining and corn-grinding equipment, etc.", under the name of "Robert Warner & Co, of the Crescent Foundry, Cripplegate, London EC, and The Foundry Works, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex". The Foundry Works employed up to 300 people at its peak and continued production after Robert's death in 1896. The business was sold in 1921 and finally closed in the 1960s. | |
| E.
Watson, B. Stortford. |
Reportedly the manufacturer of pumps in Great Canfield and Puttock's End, Essex. |
| F.
Watson, Church Street, Bp. Stortford. |
Reported on pumps in High Wych, Herts, and Matching, Essex. Transcription error for E. Watson? | ||
| Charles
A. Wells, Engineer, Lewes. |
Reported on a pump in Ringmer and two in Fulking, Sussex. I've established that Charles Aspull Wells & Son, ironmongers, operated from Etna Ironworks, Lewes, in the latter part of the 19th Century. In 1869 they obtained a 14 year lease on "a house, workshops and factories near the bridge", from the "trustees of Henry Attwood Thompson (a lunatic)". However, they went bankrupt, and the business was assigned to creditors, 1891-1893. He was also a councillor, and secretary of the Lewes Mechanics Institution at its demise in 1880. | ![]() |
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| Richard. Wells, 4, Pump Row, Old Street Road, Shoreditch, London. |
"Rd. Wells, 4, Old St. Road, London" seen on a large pump in Aylesford, Kent. Insurance records from 1823 show a Richard Wells, pump maker, at 4, Pump Row, Old Street Road, and in 1827 a Richard Wells, lead pump maker, at 6, Pump Row, Old Street Road. This seems to have been in Shoreditch. |
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| Whatley
& Co., Pewsey. |
Seen on a
pump in Shrivenham, Oxon. Oatley & Morris were iron founders, engineers and
agricultural implement makers, who set up business in 1855 in Wootton Rivers.
See: http://www.british-history.ac.uk. They became Oatley & Whatley and in about 1870, as Whatley and Hosier, they moved from Wootton Rivers to Pewsey to set up an Iron and Brass Foundry & Water Engineering company. Their successors nowadays are Whatley & Co (Pewsey) Ltd, who are apparently still in the Water Engineering business. |
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| H.
Wilks, Bramham. |
Found on a lead pump in Saxton, N. Yorks. | ![]() |
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| D.
Williams Late T. Paskin Dudley |
Seen on a pump at Long Itchington, Warks. | ![]() |
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| R. H.
Williams, 3 Water Street, Bristol . |
Listed in trade directories over the period 1857-1860 as iron, wood & lead pump-maker. | ||
| A.W.
Willis, 33, Dublin Rd, Belfast . |
"W.Willis, Dublin Road, Belfast" and the date 1900 seen on a pump in Drumbo, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. A 1901 Belfast street directory lists A.W.Willis of 33, Dublin Rd as a plumber, gas and steam fitter. | ![]() |
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| Charles Winn & Co., Birmingham. |
Found on pumps in Mickleton, Sherborne and Naunton, Glos; Lambley, Notts; and Y Felinheli, Gwynedd (which also carries a diamond logo). Charles Winn & Co were engineers and brassfounders. They seem to have been established in about 1869, and produced gas and steam fittings, plumbers' brasswork, beer engines and firefighting equipment. At http://www.oldcopper.org/ there is reference to their trademark being found on the bottom of a heavy brass bowl. Their 1897 catalogue offered safety valves for sale and they were latterly quoted as being one of Britain's biggest valve manufacturers, specialising in high performance butterfly valves. They were still in business in 1976, when they moved across Birmingham from Communication Row to Bordesley. They became part of the Delta Metal Group at some stage, but eventually closed down in 1999, their valves continuing to be made under their name by Hindle Cockburns of Leeds. | ![]() |
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| Winwood, Bristol. |
Just about discernible on a pump in Tytherington, Glos. There was a firm called John Winwood, Ironfounder, of 43 & 44 Milk St., Bristol, advertised in Pigot's 1830 Directory for Gloucestershire. Report of a pump at the Petty France Hotel, Dunkirk, Glos, "by Winwood & Co., Bristol". | ![]() |
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| Winnington & Co, Wilson St., Belfast. Winnington & Sefton |
Reported
on a large pump in Dromore, Co. Down. An 1861 trade directory shows Henderson
& Winnington, brass founders and gas fitters of 5 Mill St. By 1880 the firm
John Winnington & Co had been established at 7 & 9, Wilson St (click
for a detailed advertisement for the firm). By 1901 they had expanded to take
up much more of the street, as it was advertised as Winnington & Co., brass
founders, engineers and machinists of 5-15 Wilson's [sic] St. "WINNINGTON & SEFTON BELFAST" seen on a pump in Ballynahinch, Co. Down. No further information on that company, but an 1880 Belfast directory includes "Sefton, John, brass founder, 19 Dock Street" and "Sefton, John, (of John Winnington & Co.), 19 Dock Street. . |
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| J.
Wright |
Seen on a large cast iron pump advertised for sale on eBay. | ||
| Wyatt
Brothers, Engineers, Whitchurch, Salop |
Hard to make out (there are some other words on the nameplate which I can't decypher) on a pump at Blists Hill Museum, Shropshire. The company was established in 1879 and is still in business. | ![]() |
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| Chas
Yapp, Worcester. |
On a pump in Kempsey, Worcs. Can't find out anything about the company yet, but a George William Yapp of Worcester was listed as a well sinker in 1905. | ![]() |
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| John
D.Young & Sons, Barnstaple. |
Reportedly the makers of a pump in Chumleigh, Devon. A trade directory of 1870 lists them as "iron and brass founder, plumber and wholesale ironmonger, Silver street; h. 9, Taw Vale parade". | ||
| Zwicky
Ltd., Buckingham Av., Slough, Bucks. |
"ZWICKY PATENT" appears on what seems to be a highly engineered and expensive industrial pump rather incongruously installed in a traditional tiled shelter on the green at Farnham Royal, Bucks. From the 1930s to the 60s Zwicky advertised themselves as refuelling specialists to the aviation industry, their products including filters, pumps, hose reels, valves, swivel connections and emergency stop controls. An earlier advertisement from 1913 shows that at that stage Zwicky produced simple hand pumps. | ![]() |
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| Unknown. | Seen on pumps in East Cowes and Shorwell, Isle of Wight. | ![]() |
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| Unknown. | Reported on a pump in private hands in Horsham, W. Sussex. The fleur-de-lys suggests French origin, but I've had no success at tracing the manufacturers. | ![]() |
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| Unknown. | This HP75 mark is on a pump in Hatherden, Hants, which looks very similar to the NP75 produced by Kovoplast, but also to one of the 75 mm series made by Jiangyang. There's either a link between these two companies or somebody is blatantly copying somebody else's design. A pump with the HP75 marking in Ardross, Highlands, also carries a small "C" on its handle - and this "C" has also been seen on a very different pump in Laughton-en-le-Morthen, South Yorks. | ![]() |
| Unknown. | A thistle trademark seen on a semi-rotary near Haverfordwest. Also carries the inscription "No 5". | ![]() |
| Unknown. | A small pump at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewen, Cornwall, carries what looks like "AK" in a circle, with possibly another letter between them - and many other numbers, but they're obscured by layers of paint. There's a "75" on the handle. | ![]() |
| Unknown. | A small pump in the grounds of a hotel in Kents Bank, Cumbs, carries a flower motif, "Made in England" on the spout and, on the back "VOI". The same model has been found at Great Gransden, Cambs | ![]() |
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| Unknown. | "380" on a pump at Cropredy, Oxon. | ![]() |
| Unknown. | A possible bird or swan trademark and a diamond motif, found on a pump in Newry, Co. Down. | ![]() |
| Unknown. | "HP" seen on a barrel pump at Botany Bay, nr Catbrook, Mon. | ![]() |