Gents' of Leicester
Encyclopedia
Gents' of Leicester, also known as Gents & Company Limited, was established in Leicester
, England
, in 1872 by John Thomas Gent. For over a century, the company was a well known manufacturer of electrical equipment, in particular its electric clock
s, which were used in public buildings and railway stations all over the world.
s, electric bell
s, transformer
s, telephone
s, signalling and recording equipment, and electrical parts for aircraft
communications and radar
equipment. The company had a workforce of several hundreds at its height.
, the company expanded into nearby Kibworth
.
, and was known as "Chloride Gent". In 1982, the company was sold by Chloride to the MK Electric
Group, and was then known as "Gent Limited". The factory at Kibworth closed, and only a few jobs remained at the central Leicester works. In 1993, the company was acquired by Caradon/Novar
; and in 2005, it was taken over by Honeywell
, and has been known as "Gent by Honeywell" since. Still based in Leicester, the company is now mostly involved with fire detection and alarm systems
.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1872 by John Thomas Gent. For over a century, the company was a well known manufacturer of electrical equipment, in particular its electric clock
Electric clock
An electric clock is a clock that is powered by electricity instead of powered manually or by other sources of energy, specifically in order to wind the mainspring or to drive the pendulum or oscillator.-Classification:...
s, which were used in public buildings and railway stations all over the world.
Products
The company also produced fire alarm systemFire alarm system
An automatic fire alarm system is designed to detect the unwanted presence of fire by monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system is classified as either automatically actuated, manually actuated, or both...
s, electric bell
Electric bell
An electric bell is a mechanical bell that functions by means of an electromagnet. When an electric current is applied, it produces a repetitive buzzing or clanging sound...
s, transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
s, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s, signalling and recording equipment, and electrical parts for aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
communications and radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
equipment. The company had a workforce of several hundreds at its height.
Location
Its main design and manufacturing centre and headquarters were at the Faraday Works in Temple Road, Leicester; but after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the company expanded into nearby Kibworth
Kibworth
Kibworth is an area of the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, that contains two civil parishes—the villages of Kibworth Beauchamp and Kibworth Harcourt . According to the 2001 census, Kibworth Beauchamp has a population of 3,798, and Kibworth Harcourt has a population of 990. The two...
.
Takeovers
In 1981, Gents' of Leicester was taken over by the international organisation ChlorideChloride Electrical Storage Company
Chloride Electrical Storage Company was started in 1891. The company was originally registered as Chloride Electrical Storage Syndicate on December 12, 1891. It was formed in a deal between the Electric Storage Battery Company of New Jersey and the United Gas Improvement Company based in...
, and was known as "Chloride Gent". In 1982, the company was sold by Chloride to the MK Electric
MK electric
MK Electric is a company that makes electrical accessories. The company's headquarters are in Basildon, Essex, England, from where it makes and sells goods worldwide.-History:...
Group, and was then known as "Gent Limited". The factory at Kibworth closed, and only a few jobs remained at the central Leicester works. In 1993, the company was acquired by Caradon/Novar
Novar plc
Novar plc was an international group based in the United Kingdom with core activities in Security Systems, Aluminium Extrusion and Cheque Printing. It was bought by Honeywell in 2005, and its activities merged...
; and in 2005, it was taken over by Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
, and has been known as "Gent by Honeywell" since. Still based in Leicester, the company is now mostly involved with fire detection and alarm systems
Fire alarm system
An automatic fire alarm system is designed to detect the unwanted presence of fire by monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system is classified as either automatically actuated, manually actuated, or both...
.