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The Old Pump Makers. These are the ones I've found so far - listed in alphabetical order (there will be many more). 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 | |
| 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. |
Said to be on a pump at Soulby Green, Cumbria. | ||
| 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 one in
Wilmcote, Warks, reads: APPLEBY & CO. PATENTEES RENISHAW IRON WORKS DERBYSHIRE |
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| The Renishaw History Group tells me 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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| 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. | ![]() |
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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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| Bamford's of Uttoxeter. | Makers of a "Universal" in Naunton, Worcs and Cardington, Shrops,
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. 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 . A "Bamford's Frost Protected Lift Pump" is at Lloc, Flint, and another one's at Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon. 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". | ![]() |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | ![]() |
| 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. | |
| 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. | ![]() |
| 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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| Coalbrookdale & Co. | Makers of pumps in Ickleford, Herts; Stanton-by-Dale, Notts; and Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd. One in private hands in Tisbury, Wilts, carries the maker's mark, opposite. Examples 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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| Coppage
& Son, Brecon |
See on a pump at The Bishop's Palace, Llanddew, Powys. | ||
| 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. | ||
| T.
Curtis & Son, Sanitary Plumbers, Gainsborough |
Spotted on a solid lead pump with a willow plunger that was on sale on ebay. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Dunn of Launceton. | Reported on a lead pump head offered for sale over the Internet. | ||
| Joseph Evans & Sons (Wolverhampton) Ltd. | By far the most common maker's name seen today. Joseph Evans &
Sons (Wolverhampton) Ltd, was founded in 1810 and traded until about 1964. The
company had depots in Cardiff, Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow and
Newcastle-on-Tyne, and examples of their pumps are scattered all around the UK
- and indeed further afield. Their early trademark seems to have been a roundel with the words "Joseph Evans and Sons Wolverhampton", "Colwell" (the location of their works) and an "E" in the centre. 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", and some models carry an "RD NO. 46671" - a Registered Number which must have had some significance. 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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| 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. | ||
| 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 a pump at Aldeburgh, 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. 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. | |
| 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. | ![]() |
| 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 | ![]() |
| 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, 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). | ![]() |
| 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. | |
| Hedges
Foundry, Bucklebury, Berks. |
Reportedly the manufacturer of two pumps in Holybrook Parish, Berks. 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. | ![]() |
| Holrond. | Indistinct name seen on a pump in Little Barrington, Gloucestershire. | ![]() |
| W.
Home, Shrewsbury. |
Reportedly the manufacturer of a pump in Downton, Shrops. | |
| 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, and Brewer's End,
Takeley. I've also found one in Owlswick, Bucks. 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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). |More| See also "HP75", under Unknowns, below. |
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| Lambeth Brass & Iron Co. |
| 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 England and Wales, 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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| Llewellins & James, Bristol. |
(a) Corroded maker's name on a pump at Upper Castle Coombe,
Wilts. (b) Name also present on pumps at Alveston, Olveston, and Ham, Glos. 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. |
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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 a pump in Piddlehinton, Dorset. | ![]() |
| Walter
Macfarlane & Co., Saracen Foundry, Glasgow. |
Reportedly the makers of a pump in Caistor, Lincs, Macfarlane's also sold ornate fountains as far afield as Australia. Examples at: http://www.scottishironwork.org/database.asp | |
| Martin | "MARTIN" and "FOREIGN" seen on a pump in Hellingly, E. Sussex. | ![]() |
| H. McManus & Sons. | Irish pump manufacturer. Name seen on a "cow-tail" pump at a country show. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 |
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| 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 |
"R.R.MILES" and "LEOMINSTER" found on a pump at Bircher, Herefs.
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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| 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. | |
| 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
"No 1", and the other "No 4", which commonly on such
pumps refer to the bore size. 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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| 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, 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 and Ipplepen have now been confirmed to be made by Owens. |
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| Parry | Seen on a pump in Woodbridge, Suffolk and, reportedly, present on one in Ardleigh, Essex. | ![]() |
| Paragon | This brand is a bit of a mystery. I've found the name PARAGON just four times on pumps scattered across England, and they seem also to carry typical Lee Howl markings. The image opposite shows the name very clearly on a small lift pump in Hertfordshire which was being taken apart, directly beneath a flag that is almost - but not quite - identical to Lee Howl's flag trademark. This pattern flag has also turned up on a different design of pump in two other locations - Borde Hill Gardens, nr Haywards Heath, W. Sussex; and Gluttons Bridge, Derbs, where - although the name PARAGON is obscured - it is clearly the same trademark.The name can also be found on a semi-rotary wing pump at St. Piran's Well, Trethevy, near Tintagel, Cornwall, where it appears together with a roundel which carries the assurance frequently associated with Lee Howl pumps - "All British Made". However, an expert on the history of the company feels that none of these pumps were, in fact, made by Lee Howl. And so far I can find no more information on the origin of these pumps. | ![]() |
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| Petter & Edwards. | Reported on a pump in 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. | |
| 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. | ![]() |
| Portnell, Wincanton. |
Reportedly the makers of a 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 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. | ![]() |
| Rankin
& Co., Ballymena. |
Seen on an old "cow-tail" pump for sale at a country fair. Chinese versions also exist. | |
| 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, 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. More information available at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=27. | |
| Richmons and Sons, Chelmsford. | Reportedly the makers of a pump in Southminster, Essex. | |
| 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 |
| W.
Rowe, Yeovil. |
Reported on a pump at Long Sutton, Soms. | |
| Root. | Reported on a pump at Tattingstone, Suffolk. | |
| Runwell. | "No. 2 Runwell British Make" is on a pump at Sandford, Isle of Wight, and a "No. 3 Runwell British Make" semi-rotary has turned up in Australia. No further information available regarding the company. | ![]() |
| 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. | ![]() |
| Sigma Group, Czech Republic. |
Seen on an NP75 pump in the old greenhouse at Whitland Abbey,
Carms. The trident is the trademark of the
Sigma Group, of the Czech
Republic, who currently make a wide range of modern electrically operated
pumps of all kinds. Their web site confirms that they've been around since
1868. But how did this pump find its way to Whitland Abbey? 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-90 has turned up in Spratton, Northants, sporting a trident and "ON 112220". This latter number is similar to one seen on a Kovoplast Standard T pump in Exton, Devon. |More| See also "HP75", under Unknowns, below. |
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| 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. | ![]() |
| 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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| A.
Syea, Pentonville |
Reportedly the manufacturer of a pump in Osmington, Dorset. | |
| 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 pumps in Norfolk, Suffolk 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. 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. | |
| 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 and Sons, Newgate St, London EC. (c) J. Tylor & Sons Engineers. 2 Newgate St., London (d) J. Tylor & Sons, Engineers, Warwick Lane, London. (e) J Tylor & Sons Newgate Street, London (f) 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) Reportedly on one in Pound St., Carshalton, Greater London. (c) Found on pumps in Calbourne and Newtown, Isle of Wight. (d) Said to be on a pump in Steeple, Essex. (e) On a pump in private hands in Dorking, Surrey. (f) On a pump in Ferry Lane, Norwich. |
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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; 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". Other Warners pumps are reportedly in Penally, Pembs and 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. |
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| 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. | ![]() |
| 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. | ![]() |
| R. H.
Williams, 3 Water Street, Bristol . |
Listed in trade directories over the period 1857-1860 as iron, wood & lead pump-maker. | |
| Charles Winn & Co., Birmingham. |
Found on pumps in Mickleton, Sherborne and Naunton, Glos; and Lambley, Notts. 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". | ![]() |
| 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. | ![]() |
| 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". | |
| Unknown. | Seen on pumps in East Cowes and Shorwell, Isle of Wight. | ![]() |
| 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. | ![]() |
| Unknown. | This HP75 mark is on a pump in Hatherden, Hants, which looks very similar to the NP75 produced by Kovoplast. On closer inspection, though, I think the pump is 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... | ![]() |
| Unknown. | Seen on pumps in Tewkesbury, Glos, and in Charlestown, Cornwall. The pumps and the trademarks are so similar to those bearing the "P" trademark that surely they must be produced by the same manufacturer? However, new "P" pumps are widely available, whereas there's no mention of "N" pumps for sale. | ![]() |
| 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". | ![]() |
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| Unknown. | "380" on a pump at Cropredy, Oxon. | ![]() |